Spider-Girl
by Ezra.J.Clarke
Summary: The Spidey!Beca, Bechloe fic everyone has been asking for? Rewrite semi of Pitch Perfect two with the crossover of Spider-Man. Let me know if it's worth continuing.
1. Chapter 1 - Spider-Girl

**Hello! I wanted to write another Bechloe fic and this came to mind. Is this worth continuing?**

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Beca Mitchell sat with her back against a tree in the courtyard of Barden University, her headphones pressed against her ears and her laptop opened. The fall breeze of a new year was cool against her jeans. Her black top just thick enough to keep her warm. Leaves drifted from the tops of trees and covered the courtyard in a hue of orange and red, tinted by the sun. Still, the sky was blue and the courtyard was full of students from every year. New freshmen were getting dropped off by their parents and dragging their luggage all over campus while they looked for their dorm. Overall, Beca was trying not to pay attention. She had a few more hours before she had to meet the other girls in the Quad for the activities fair and she wanted to get done with the mix she was working out before that.

Only, she couldn't focus. Her music was turned as high as it could go and she still couldn't focus on it. No matter how many times she pressed her headphones to her ears, she could still hear the sorority girls giggling behind her and the slamming car doors from beyond the courtyard arch. Not only could she hear them but, they were also extremely loud and obnoxious, drilling in her ears. She couldn't think without every sound in the courtyard destroying every thought she came up with. She could hardly hear her own music.

Memories of the night before flashed through her overworking brain. The slingshots of webs flying through the sky and the way it felt to be soaring through the Atlanta skyline. There was nothing like it. The freedom of jumping from building to building and running off rooftops surpassed any other feeling she knew. But with the freedom and capability to do all of it came the responsibility to help when she could hear the call. There was no ignoring it. She could hear everything and feel it like a sixth sense. When someone was in trouble, she could feel it. And if the memories weren't enough, the bruises on her body were there to remind her too.

She had been dealing with this for a little over a year now. A year since she went on a trip to the Oscorp labs in her required science class, why it was required for a music major, she had never understood. A year since she was bitten by a spider and a year since her life had changed forever. Since then, she was Beca Mitchell, an all-star music major and co-captain of the Barden Bella's by day, and "Spider-Girl," as Atlanta deemed her, by night. Or, whenever the Atlanta needed her. Of course, she kept those two lives as separate as she could spare. Since the change, Spider-Girl had become a popular public image and hero, while Beca Mitchell had just gotten her first internship at a legit recording studio. Which meant she was keeping more secrets than she could grapple with. Chloe was so involved with the Bellas that it felt wrong for her to have an internship, so she hadn't told anyone about that either. That is, except for the one person that did know about everything. Jesse Swanson.

Jesse and Beca had been best friends since the two had arrived at Bardon and Beca trusted him. Not that she didn't trust the other Bella's but she couldn't risk telling all of them and telling a few meant making them keep a secret too. Besides that, she hadn't intended to tell Jesse about being Spider-Girl until she was up to her shoulders in bruises and bleeding wounds she couldn't clean up herself. She had ended up at his apartment halfway through junior year and he did his best to help patch her up, asking every question under the sun in the process. So Jesse knew and being as he knew her biggest secret, the internship slipped out of her mouth soon after. Jesse Swanson knew all of her secrets, but beyond him, there was no one. Which in the grander scheme she knew it was for the best. Even if it hurt and no matter how hard it was. No matter how many lies it took to get out of important events and no matter how many times she had snuck out of the Bella house, it was for the best.

Finally giving up on her mix, for now, Beca shut her laptop and pulled up her phone. Despite hearing every other sound in the courtyard, she had apparently neglected her phone. She had a plethora of texts from the rest of the Bella's about being kicked out of the Activities Fair for their profane performance in front of the President of the United States. She should've figured as much. Now her destination was rerouted to headmasters office in a few hours. She packed up her bag and sighed, leaning her head against the tree. This was going to be a long day and she a feeling that she wasn't going to get anywhere with writing music.

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	2. Chapter 2 - Double Life

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Beca snuck into the hood-night party using the back gate of the Treble house. She was fresh off her first day at her internship and fresh off a burglary down the street. If she was being honest, she wasn't up for a frat party after the day she had. Being kicked out of the national tour, having a horrible first day at her new job, and adding a few more bruises from the punk in the jewelry store was more than enough for her. Not to mention that she was covered and sweat. She wasn't up for having fun after all that. Nothing was fun when she was sporting bruises from her shoulders to her toes. She had to keep her blazer on to keep them from showing and it wasn't exactly the coldest night in Atlanta. Still, regardless of how she was feeling, she slipped through the crowd towards the loudest group of the party.

"Hey, you made it!" Jesse said as she shifted into a seat next to him.

"Couldn't miss our last hood-night party." She cringed as she slipped into a finally relaxed position next to him at the backyard bar.

"Sooo…" Jesse's face shot into the look of a gitty child awaiting their well-deserved lollypop, "How was the internship?"

Beca sighed, allowed her shoulders to relax, "Eye-opening. They don't dick around there. But on the plus side, I washed out a coffee mug that may have been used once by Eminem. It had a real angry vibe to it." She laughed at her own joke and Jesse laughed along with her in a sympathetic way.

He watched the party from afar and she did too. They fell into a comfortable silence. It was something the two of them had got into lately. Especially when they were in large crowds that they didn't want to be in. It was a comfortable feeling to watch everything happen from afar and just zone out. It was relaxing. He only broke it when Beca's eyes landed on Chloe Beale, dancing near the pool and jumping to the latest song. Jesse looked at Beca, then Chloe, and back at Beca. He shook his head, "Chloe asked me where you were, why didn't you tell her?"

"Oh, uh," Beca acted like it was no big deal as she glanced over at Chloe. She shook her head, "She's just locked into the whole worlds right now and I'm just… looking for the right time to tell her."

Jesse nodded and didn't look her in the eye when he continued, "There's something else I wonder why you haven't told her…" His voice was more serious, sterner. It was lower than his usual conversational tone. Low enough for the music to be louder and for drunk college kids to carry on ignoring him. When his eyes met hers he was asking more genuinely, _Why haven't you told them your Spider-Girl?_

Beca thought about the last hour of her day when he asked the question. The last hour of the day that she had spent fighting five armed gunmen in a jewelry store hold up while protecting five employees and two customers. It was complicated and they had her on the floor twice before she pulled it over on her, once because an employee got in her way. It was complicated. That was the reason why Beca hadn't told anyone about being Spider-Girl. If they knew who she was it meant that they were in danger. She didn't take being Spider-Girl lightly. This was something she thought about time and time again.

Becoming Spider-Girl wasn't an easy decision for her. It wasn't a happy heroes journey. It was hard work and choosing to lie every day to the people she loved. She hated that Jesse knew, but she had to admit that having someone be there for her made it easier to handle. She could come to him when she was injured to avoid the hospital. She didn't want that for the Bellas. She didn't know how they would take it. Would they be mad? There was a good chance they would be mad and even if they were happy about it, it wasn't the kind of work Beca wanted credit for. It was selfless, even if she wouldn't admit it.

"Jesse, we've talked about this," Beca let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in.

Jesse's eyes were scanning her over, "Becs, we have talked about this and every time we do you negate the fact that everyone you care about is at risk. If anyone against Spider-Girl knew who you were than everyone you love -"

"I know." Beca cut him off in a harsh tone. She couldn't help it. She had thought about it. She knew why Jesse wanted her to tell the Bellas. It was the same reason she didn't want to tell them. It was complicated. As was her life at this point and there was no denying that.

"C'mon. Let's get stupid together while we still can." Jesse smirked and nudged her, pulling the two of them out of the deep end. Beca smiled and followed him around the bar to the pool where the Bellas finally recognized her presence at the party.

Beca walked into their dance group, only feet away from Chloe Beale. Chloe Beale, who she had just seen this morning. Chloe Beale who had been asking about her all day. Chloe Beale who she had been lying to repeatedly. Chloe Beale who had become her best friend and her co-captain since her freshman year. Chloe Beale who was stupid drunk and closer to her than even sober Chloe usually got.

"Hey," Beca only spoke it loud enough for Chloe to hear her in between the song and between the clashing of shots being passed around the group of Bellas, "Sorry I'm late."

Chloe was so close to her that Beca could smell her most margarita on her lips, "Hey." The redhead's smile was bright white and her cerulean eyes were glowing in the dark. They were like stars. Beca's navy blue met Chloe's brights and they were burning with never-ending love, "It's okay."

Then, they danced and danced. Danced to song after song and drank more than Beca's body weight in alcohol. That was the goal at hood-night after all. So they did. They drank and danced and somewhere in between, Beca met Legacy AKA Emily Junk. Then, They all got stupid drunk and Chloe ended up in the pool and afterward, they stumbled home in the dark. The group of girls walked the block down the street to their house on campus, holding each other up as they went.

It was after three in the morning when Beca was holding Chloe up and walking her through the foyer of their house, towards Chloe's room. Chloe's weight was resting on her shoulder and Beca could hardly deal with how painful it was, "It's alright. We're almost there, just a few more steps." Beca was whispering in Chloe's ear as she closed the door to Chloe's room. She could hear the shuffling of feet to the other rooms of the house as the rest of the girls went to bed.

"That was fun," Chloe mumbled with her smile wide and white.

"It was crazy and you won't be thinking it's fun at the car show tomorrow morning," Beca reminded the redhead. Chloe groaned at the thought of waking up at all as Beca helped her pull off her soaking wet jeans and top. Chloe laid down on the bed and held her head as Beca pulled out a fresh pair of sweats and a big tee shirt, "Hey, it's gonna be alright."

Beca handed her the clothes and Chloe slipped them on, "Thanks for taking care of me, Becs." She mumbled in the process.

"Of course," Beca told her and tucked her in. As soon as she did, she turned off Chloe's bedside light. Chloe almost immediately started to drift off and Beca took the opportunity to sneak out the door.

"Becs?" Beca stopped when she heard the low mumbled from Chloe's lips.

"Yeah, Chlo?" She whispered back. Her hand was on the edge of the doorway as she looked back over the pile of blankets on Chloe's bed.

"I missed you today." The redhead said, her voice giving into how tired her body was.

"I missed you too, Chlo." Beca shut the door softly behind her and tiptoed down the hall to her and Amy's room.

Luckily and oddly, Amy wasn't there. Beca wasn't sure that Amy had accompanied the group back to Bella house. For a second, she worried about it, but overall decided that wherever Amy was, she could take care of herself. And if it was anything close to Beca's suspicions, Amy was in good hands with Bumper. Finally, she could lay in her bed and put the longest day of her life to rest. Which happened almost as soon as her head hit her pillow. She didn't even get changed into her pajamas before doing it either.

The next thing she knew it was the next morning, the sun was shining, and a familiar redhead was laying next to her. Correction, a familiar redhead was staring at her, "Good Morning, Sunshine," Chloe mumbled.

Beca nearly freaked out when her brain caught up with the surprised of Chloe being right in front of her when she woke up. She squinted and rubbed her eyes, the hangover setting in, "Jesus Chlo, what time is it?"

Chloe's eyes were pouting in sympathy, noticing her pain, "Awh, It's eight, silly. Today is the car show, remember?"

Beca swallowed and tried to sit up, despite her pounding head begging her to go back to sleep. Once she did, she realized that Chloe was ready to go for the day and that her co-captain was holding out painkillers and coffee, "You're the best." She mumbled.

"You take care of me, I take care of you." Chloe winked before heading for the door, "We leave in twenty. Everyone else is downstairs getting breakfast. I tried to let you sleep in." Before Beca could respond, Chloe was gone.

Beca sat up, successfully feeling every ache and pain building up in her body. Despite the fact that her body healed faster, these days it didn't heal as fast as she wanted it too. It usually took longer because she didn't have time to give her body the proper rest. It was fight after fight after fight for her. Never the less, she got up, she got dressed, and she went downstairs to join her family.

"Last Night, Zales jewelry store was held at gunpoint by…" Beca could hear the news as she walked down the staircase and when she walked into the kitchen she could see that every Bella had their eyes glued to the screen, "Luckily, Spider-Girl was there…" It went on and showed video off an iPhone of Spider-Girl from the previous night.

"Damn that girl's got moves," Stacie commented as the video continued, "She must be ripped."

' _Not so ripped that any of you would notice'_ Beca laughed as she thought to herself and sipped her coffee.

"Are you kidding? She's gotta be," Amy added after finishing her bite of toast.

"She's insane if you ask me," Emily said as she poured herself a second cup of coffee, "I mean if you were asking me. I wasn't sure if that was up for grabs."

"Insane?' Chloe spoke up and Beca's eyes were drawn to her. Chloe hadn't looked up from her breakfast at the screen or said a single thing about Spider-Girl. At very least, Beca was curious.

"Yeah, I mean, being a vigilante? Risking her life like that? She's insane. I couldn't imagine." Emily said, briefly meeting Chloe's eyes and then looking down at the half and half she was putting in her to go mug.

Chloe turned around from the counter and watched the small TV they had positioned on the other side of the room. The rest of the girls were looking at her now as they sat around the countertop island. The video on the TV was of Spider-Girl bringing out the criminals all wrapped up for the police to take. Chloe shrugged, "I don't know. I think in some ways, it's noble. If you have abilities like that, how could you live your life pretending you don't?" The comment made Beca smile and she couldn't help herself. Of course, it didn't change the fact that she had no idea how Chloe would react to someone so close to her _being Spider-Girl,_ but it at least meant Chloe understood where she was coming from in doing it.

"Do you think anyone knows who she is?" Cynthia Rose piped up, breaking up the more serious tone to the conversation, "Lord knows, I wouldn't mind knowing." She joked.

Beca was starting to get itchy now. The whole thing was making her stomach churn and she no longer wanted to eat breakfast. Normally, it wasn't like this. She didn't feel like she was lying straight to their faces unless they were having conversations likes this. Talking about Spider-Girl made her feel like she wasn't just omitting the truth, she was lying about who she was.

"I hate to break it to you Cynth, but I think that's the point of a secret identity, so nobody knows," Jessica mentioned as she packed her bag in the living room. Beca just continued to sip her coffee and let it play out. She wanted to avoid the conversation at all costs.

"What do you think, Becs?" Chloe's voice was soft, but not soft enough that it was ignored. The rest of the girls turned and looked at her.

She smiled at them, took a sip of her coffee and checked the time, "I think that it's too early for coherent thoughts and that we need to leave." The girls all checked the time and after realizing that she was right, packed up their bags as quickly as they could and went out to the Bella's van. Luckily, she didn't have to say a word and hopefully, she wouldn't have to say a thing. Maybe, she could get some peace and quiet for just one day.


	3. Chapter 3 - On the Job

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 _Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but, I just have somewhere where I need to be. Um, you did great today._ The words haunted Beca as she ran off from practice and into the nearest campus bathroom. Emily was just trying to be nice and get to know her and Beca had hardly given her the chance. To be fair, Beca had never been good at talking to people, but still. She felt bad. And on top of that, she felt bad for being so aggressive at practice, but she had a lot on her plate. She didn't even know how to make time to work on songs for the Bellas to beat DAS Sound Machine. She'd just have to pencil it in between her internship, writing music for her internship, and fighting crime. Easy peasy.

Which is exactly what she was thinking about when she walked into the bathroom and rushed into the closest unoccupied stall, throwing off her shirt and pants as quickly as she could. There was a prickle against her skin. The hair on her arms and legs were standing straight up. An impossible feeling of guilt filled her stomach. Her throat went dry. The overwhelming feelings all at one usually gave her a headache. It was a part of her sixth sense. It told her something was wrong and by now she knew it meant it was time to be Spider-Girl. It was because that sixth sense meant danger. Her senses were driving her crazy and had been for most of practice. She had to go. Which is why she had no time to talk to Legacy. Or Emily. Whatever her name was. So she ran away and got changed into the bathroom.

The elastic of the suit was always a stretch and never easy to put on in a pinch. Or with the sixth sense pushing at her entire being. She threw the rest of her clothes in her bag and hid the bag in a bush right outside of the bathroom, after climbing out the back window that she was sure nobody had seen. And just like that she was practically flying downtown. Webs shot from the shooters attached to her palms and she swung from one rooftop to the next on her way to where she was needed most. She ran across rooftops and dashed off the tops. She did freefalls until the last possible second before she swung across the city blocks. The feeling of being Spider-Girl was a beyond feeling to Beca. The only thing that compared to swinging down the street as Spider-Girl was creating music. Both of which gave Beca a freedom that she wanted more than anything in the world. Already she could see a group of reporters and citizens following her down the street, taking pictures as she went. As much as she enjoyed saving people, she wished the new casters would all go home. Getting anywhere near a building on fire was putting them in danger and Beca hated to think that she could be the cause of someone getting hurt.

Besides that, the press never seemed to get a good picture of her and if they were going to put themselves in danger, they should at least get a picture of it in the process. It was a nice suit. Black base coat with spider webs running all the way through the stitching. Splashes of red spread over her arms, legs, and mask. She got it made online and had it sent to an empty warehouse to keep anyone from knowing who she was before she started the whole Spider-Girl adventure. She always wondered if the Etsy-girl who custom made it bragged about it because it became Spider-Girl's outfit or if it was made by a knitting company that didn't even realize they made it. It was a funny thought, but in any case, it deserved a good picture.

There were people on every three different floors of the building calling for help. Spider-Girl started there. She started by pulling each of them out with a web and put them on the ground, in the arms of an EMT standing by. Once she got the ones stuck out, she had to make her rounds going inside. That's what she hated most about fires. Her abilities gave her a faster healing rate and she could move faster through the fire, but it didn't mean she could avoid getting hurt. Burns still burned and burns were the worst feeling. Not to mention the smoke that filled her lungs as she entered. She started on the top floor to make sure she didn't miss any victims, but the smoke was worse. So she worked her way down, listening for everyone and anyone she could. She found a little boy on the top floor, a mom and her son somewhere around the fifth or sixth, and she had to pull up a piece of debris to get out a man stuck on the first floor. The firefighters helped get him to safety and thanked her on the way out. It was a close call. Getting all three of them out at the same time before the building collapsed inward. They were lucky everyone got out in time and even more lucky she was in the right place at the right time. She had to slingshot to pull the three of them out of the building and she got a firm thank you from both men when it was all over.

This was something Beca had gotten used to. Spider-Girl was controversial around town, mostly because she was considered a vigilante. But the police didn't stop her from intervening and she was only trying to help. So ever since she started being Spider-Girl, she tried to do what the emergency personnel needed of her and leave what she could to them. It helped ease the controversy when she was working with them, rather than against them. She was exhausted and covered in sweat by the time she was done. Her arms had been burned up and down, leaving her with the lingering thought that she would need to wear long sleeves for the next twenty-four hours.

She had added it up after all. In twenty-four hours most things went away, with proper sleep at least. Twelve hours for purple bruises. Twenty-four hours for stab wounds. Little cuts went away in a few hours. She had very few wounds that lasted longer than a day and those were the nights she ended up on Jesses' doorstep, hunched over in pain. And he'd nurse her back to health. She'd stay there if she really had to, but she never wanted to leave the Bellas. She often played it off as a cold or the flu to the Bellas. It was another lie she hated, but it was better than disappearing.

She was on her way home from the whole ordeal when she felt it again, though. A prickle against her skin. The hair standing up on her arms and legs. The impossible feeling of guilt in her stomach. Something was wrong and this one was more urgent than the last. This was a part of her powers that Beca loved and hated. The fact that she knew something was wrong and had a feeling of where to go, but she never knew why it was important. It could be extremely frustrating at times. She never knew exactly what she was heading towards and it was hard to prepare for something she didn't know was coming. So she ran towards the danger she could feel inching across her skin. She leapt across rooftops rushed to the next scene. Her eyes were just starting to adjust to the darkness that came with the night.

She walked up to the edge of one rooftop and she knew she was close. She stayed low and listened for signs of trouble. There were footsteps, totaling four people in the alleyway below, "Oh come on, sexy, you know you want this." Beca looked down over the edge and she could see the scene before her. Three men creeping up on a young girl. They could've been twice her size and twice her age. Beca could feel the fear coming off the girl as they took steps closer. She tried to back away, but back into the brick wall instead.

"Yeah, stop playing hard to get!" Another one of the men shouted at her. They looked like they were closing in on prey and that they had been planning this all night. They were dressed in black clothes with their hoods up. They were trying to go unnoticed. It made Beca's blood boil.

"You don't want to do this." The girls voice was more confident than Beca thought she would've been in the same situation, but there was more to it. The voice was familiar to Beca. She knew that woman like the back of her hand. Beca raised her eyebrows at the way she threw a punch at the first two. She was sure it would give him a shiner. She kicked the second one, but the third one grabbed her and pulled her arms back. The very action flipped a switch in Beca.

Before she knew what she was doing, Beca was running down the wall of the building and shooting webs that attached all three men. She ripped them away with all her strength and sent them flying to edge of the alleyway. With the opportunity on her fingertips, she slipped herself between the ginger girl and her attackers. "You little punk!" The third one finally spoke and they came at her at once. All three men came from their own angle towards her. She ducked under the first ones punch and swept her legs beneath the second one coming at her. She pulled herself up by shooting a web onto the wall above her and wrapped it around the second man. She almost made it out without an injury. Almost. The third one took his chance when she was finishing with the second. He got a clear punch against her cheek and caused the brunette to take a double take. Once she regained her thoughts, she shot a web at him and pinned him to the wall.

When all was said and done, Beca looked over the three men to ensure that they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. She made sure they were asleep and bound in some way. Than finally, she turned to see the cerulean eyes she had woken up to this morning. Chloe was shaking, but if it were a complete stranger looking ather, they would think she was confident. She was good at hiding fear. She hated anyone thinking she was afraid of anything.

Hell, Beca was practically shaking. She had never run into a Bella while she was on the job. And Especially not when they were in real danger. Beca couldn't risk Chloe finding out who she was. So she stayed quiet. She wanted to make sure Chloe was alright, but if she spoke than Chloe night realizing who she was by her voice. She wondered what it looked like to Chloe though, having Spider-Girl in the flesh staring at her. The white circles that looked like eyes on the suit. She wondered if Chloe even liked the suit.

"I," Chloe took a deep breath. Beca could see Chloe's shoulders relax from her position a few feet away. Beca didn't know what to say and clearly, Chloe didn't either.

Beca tried to make her voice deeper, less like herself, "Do you live nearby?"

Chloe nodded, "I go to Barden University. A house on campus."

Beca turned away then, too nervous to keep the conversation going. She didn't want to risk giving away her identity, "Go home." And she spun off before Chloe could say anything more, though Beca swore Chloe called for her to stop. She couldn't though. It was too risky, too much. In one way she might've been happy to have Chloe see her in action. In one way she loved the closeness of Chloe seeing this side of her. The rush. The adrenaline. A part of her wanted Chloe, her best friend, to know. To understand. But that encounter was as close as she would ever get.

She couldn't risk putting Chloe in any more danger. She swung far enough away for Chloe to think she was out of sight, then she snuck back and watch Chloe wall home in the dark. She wanted to make sure she was safe. She watched until Chloe got onto campus, then she swung back to the bathroom she changed in and grabbed her jacket. She walked back to the Bella house using the back way through the grass and pulled herself into her and Amy's room through the window. Then she crept into the bathroom and got changed in sweats in a long-sleeved t-shirt.

When all was said and done, she looked at herself in the mirror. A bruise was already beginning to form on and around her eyelid. She'd have to use makeup to cover it up. She could feel the burn welts rubbing against the sleeves of her shirt too. She took a long deep breath and started to apply the makeup. Her limbs were starting to stiffen from the overuse. Her body was slowly shutting down on her. She was pushing herself too far and she knew it.

"Girls! Girls! Girls!" Beca could hear Chloe's voice from a mile away, as she walked in and slammed the front door. Beca could also hear the rising sound of stampeding girls and the slamming of the doors following. Of course, Beca was the last one to come to call. When she made it down the stairs, the girls were sitting in the living room waiting for her. Chloe was standing in front of them, still fully dressed, and looking as perky as ever. While the rest of girls made themselves comfy around the L-shaped couch, Beca leaned on the banister. She was pretty sure she knew what this was about.

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	4. Chapter 4 - A peaceful day, sort of

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The crowd of women stared at Chloe expectantly. It was a welcomed silence as they anticipated what Chloe's big news was. After all, it had to be big if Chloe was calling all of them down to talk about it. Chloe smiled bright when she said it and Beca almost felt proud to make her smile, "I saw Spider-Girl."

"You saw Spider-Girl?" Amy was, of course, the first one to say anything. Beca liked to think about Amy as the girl who pointed it out when it was snowing. There wasn't anything wrong with that. There was something beautiful in the obvious, after all.

"How?" Stacie, always the logical, "Like swinging downtown? Because we've all seen that." Stacie was ditsy but logical. She was smart, but she knew how to have fun. In that way, Beca could see how her girlfriend and she got along. Stacie was a good opposite to Aubrey's need to be in control. Stacie could teach her how to let loose and Aubrey could teach Stacie how to be more in control. Beca thought they made a good couple and they made the long distance work, with Aubrey working at the camp two hours away. Stacie would visit the camp and Aubrey would come to stay at the Bella house. Beca had learned to love it - all of it. The Bellas were her family, including Aubrey. Despite not always getting along, they were family. Beca couldn't help but laugh. She had never thought about the Bellas seeing her. Not that it wasn't possible, just a funny thought.

She got a few weird looks when she laughed, but she just shrugged her shoulders to turn the attention back to Chloe. Chloe, on the other hand, was watching Beca in the back, her eyes on her, in the same way as they were in the alley. It made Beca question whether she had done a good enough job keeping her away. Should she of stayed silent? Chloe stared at her for a minute, before realizing that they were waiting for her to continue, "Not swinging downtown. Up close and Personal. She was standing right in front of me. I watched her beat up like four guys at once."

 _Three_ Beca thought, _But thanks for making me look better._

"What? Were you at a bank heist or something?" Jessica asked, her shoulder still leaning on Ashley. The two were closer than Beca had ever been with her friends. She had wondered if they just weren't ready to come out yet, but she had never been the best judge when it came to social interactions.

"Well, no," Chloe folded her arms and Beca could see her getting uncomfortable. She apparently didn't think about having to tell them why Spider-Girl had come in the first place, "There were just these guys that were giving me a hard time,"

"A hard time?" Beca asked and the group turned toward her. Chloe's eyes were preening right through her, "What kind of a hard time?" She didn't want to make Chloe uncomfortable, but she wanted Chloe to be honest and to be open about what happened. The Bellas were her support system and it was good for Chloe to be honest with them. Even if Beca herself couldn't be.

"Just some douchebags," Chloe said, "But than Spider-Girl was there and I wish you guys could've seen her. It was so amazing."

Amy nearly burst into tears laughing, "Sounds like Reds got a crush on Spider-Girl." And the whole group bellowed with naughty sounds.

But Chloe's face was bright red and Beca couldn't pull her eyes away from her, "Shut-up! I am not!" Beca hardly even realized that her face was burning the same bright and vibrant red.

The group burst into fun, playful laughter, then a stark contrast of silence. A silence that gave Ashley the perfect opportunity to say, "Well, is she just as toned as we all thought?" A few laughs tagged along, but they were waiting. Waiting for Chloe to respond. To confirm or deny the allegations and if Beca was being completely honest with herself, she was too.

Chloe bit her lip before she said, "If possible, more."

 _Thank you. Thank you very much._ Beca smirked. Once, the howling and laughing and enjoying stopped, the Bellas went back to their every night tasks in all different rooms of the house. Everyone except for Beca and Chloe, who were still standing in the room across from each other, staring. Chloe's smile was still living large and Beca loved seeing her that way. It was that smile that Chloe couldn't hide when she was truly happy. It was the smile that never failed to make Beca smile.

Chloe moseyed around the couch and towards Beca, who stayed still. Beca's blue eyes watched her intently as she moved, wondering what to think of all this. Spider-Girl had never been so close to her home life and she was more than worried about having to lie to their faces. She was better at avoiding. But to Beca's surprise, Chloe smiled at her, but not to her, and quickly moved on and up the stairs. Beca let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding once Chloe was out of her sight and she was alone in the living room of their shared home. Once again, she was finally able to relax.

That night she did just that. She didn't have to talk to anyone or be social. She didn't have to go out and fight any more crime. She didn't even have homework from school or her internship. She just laid on her bed and listened to music and ignored the world for a while. Music felt like the one thing that meant she didn't have to think. In fact, by not thinking she actually was able to get a mix ready for the Bellas. It was rough, not her best work, but she was pretty sure the Bellas could beat DSM at their own game anyhow. They were doing great. They were a great team.

The next morning though, with all the stress that her life was in general ( _How did she think she could do all of this at the same time anyway?),_ only one thought was haunting her. A thought that she had tried to run away from and forget about. A thought that she didn't really want to have in the first place. It was a thought, nothing more nothing less. A thought that led to many more questions than just one. A thought that was plain and simple. _Chloe had a crush on Spider-Girl._

But if Chloe had a crush on Spider-Girl, did that mean Chloe had a crush on Beca? Or was Beca different than Spider-Girl? Weren't they one and the same? Or was Chloe _into_ the mystery of Spider-Girl? The idea of not knowing who she was? Would knowing that Beca was Spider-Girl ruin it for her? And the most important question of them, why did any of it matter to Beca? Did it matter that Chloe had a crush on Spider-Girl or Beca? And Did Beca have a crush on Chloe? How did she have time, with everything else in her life, to have a crush on her best friend? And why couldn't she stop thinking about it?

The overwhelming amount of questions made the next day go by faster than Beca expected. Especially considering Spider-Girl wasn't needed around town. It was nice to have a peaceful day every once in a blue moon. She got to spend the day with the Bellas, working on the mix she had started to beat DSM. It was a work in progress, but Beca liked the idea of being able to hand them their asses by using their own style against them. It was a good plan and they were getting closer to a solid set, which meant getting closer to beating DSM at worlds. On top of that, Chloe had gotten them a gig not so far away to give them a chance to test it out with a real crowd.

Still, the entire day Beca was distracted. Distracted by the questions plaguing her mind and distracted by Chloe all day. She had never really thought about it before. Not that she didn't like Chloe, but it was like she had never realized how close to being a couple they already were and never realized how the redhead made her feel. After all, they were best friends. They got each other coffee, nursed one another's hangovers, and told each other everything. Well, nearly everything. And even if Beca hadn't told her everything, Chloe was her rock to lean on. And maybe that was the reason it was so hard to tell Chloe about everything. Beca couldn't put her in danger and even if Chloe was willing to take that risk, Beca couldn't make Chloe lie to all of her friends. It wasn't worth it for Chloe to know she was Spider-Girl. It just wasn't.

After the day was said and done, the girls split off for the evening. Some of them went out to the bar off campus and others headed back to the house. Beca went to her internship and afterward, she thought she'd head around town as Spider-Girl. Without any real danger, being Spider-Girl was a blast. Swinging around town gave her a new sense of inspiration. It brought music to her ears like nothing else had ever done. She didn't have to think about the fact that her boss at the internship wanted to hear something from her. Something _she_ made. Or How nervous she was about it. And she didn't have to think about how all the girls were counting on her to beat DSM and get their careers back. She didn't have to think about the fact that she liked Chloe and that Chloe had a crush on her split personality. All of that could just melt away the moment she stepped off the edge of the rooftop.

It was nearing eleven when she made her way back to the Bella house, which was filled with her friends laughing and carrying on. She grabbed the mail and stopped outside the door to the house. Through the windows, she could see her friends in the living room. Inside, her college friends - all girls - were having an actual pillow fight in the living room. Beca couldn't help herself but smirk. No matter what she or the other girls were going through, they would always have each other. Beca knew it for a fact. The Bellas were her family and another reason she was Spider-Girl. She wanted to keep them safe and she wanted to keep others safe so that they could go home to their families. What she didn't know, was that her family was going to become the very reason being Spider-Girl was so hard.

"What am I looking at?" Beca asked when she closed the front door to the house. It was only when she spoke that the rest of the Bellas became aware of her presence at all.

"Just a bunch of odd ducks in uncomfortable sleepwear having a pillow fight." Fat Amy laughed and Beca bit her lip.

Chloe jumped off the couch to greet her and Beca's breath caught in her throat. Chloe's hair was a mane of red and it's beauty only served to highlight her eyes. Beca wondered how she had been so oblivious to her feelings for Chloe before. Just as her stare started to linger for too long, Amy hit her in the back of her head with a pillow. Chloe giggled and Beca rubbed her head when she yelled at Amy, "Easy! That's memory foam!" Chloe laughed again and that brought Beca's attention back to her redheaded best friend, "You know this sets women back about thirty years."

"Nah, we're just releasing stress," Chloe told her and Beca's cheeks flushed red for hardly a real reason. It was something about the moment, being so close to Chloe Beale and the way she smiled with all her teeth. The way the Bellas were watching them so intently. Beca couldn't focus with Chloe Beales perfume surrounding her. Did Chloe even like girls?

"Technically, Beca's right. My mom talked about Bella pillow fights in the eighties that lasted for days," Emily added.

Beca rolled her eyes as she laughed and held up the invitation she had gotten from outside to Chloe, "This was on the porch."

"What is this? It's real fancy." Chloe joked and opened the card.

They had been invited to a fancy party to sing. The girls basically jumped for joy at the opportunity. Beca had to say, she was pretty excited herself. Since they had been kicked off the tour, everyone had been on edge and upset with the situation. At least this gave them the chance to get back out in the field and give the new girl a chance to perform with them. It would be fun and Beca was looking forward to it. Later that night, Jesse sent her a text about the trebles being invited with a semi-weird invitation and Beca could only assume it was for the same party. Overall, this day had gone well and Beca could only wish for more like it in the future. Unfortunately, she wouldn't get one like it for a few weeks.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Problem

**Please Review! And if you're wondering, yes the ending dialogue is the dialogue from the original 2002 Spider-Man! I own no work! All copyright to Pitch Perfect and Spider-Man (2002). Follow me on Tumblr Ezrajclarke**

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Beca and the rest of the Bella's found their way to Sir Willups mansion late into the next evening. They were all dressed up and ready to go and ever since Beca laid her eyes on Chloe, she could hardly stop staring. With Chloe's hair straightened, her black skirt skin tight, and her outfit tailored to her body, Beca felt like she could barely breathe. She had always thought Chloe was beautiful, but she had never noticed that her heart rate sped up and her stomach did flips when she saw the girl. Had that always happened? Or was that new? Chloe had to snap her fingers in front of Beca to get her out of the trance. When Chloe has asked her what she was thinking about that was worth biting her lip over, Beca only responded that she was spacing out. Once they left the house, Beca had to force herself to stay focused.

Sir Willups mansion was huge. Just the idea of socializing at such a large venue made Beca's anxiety flare up. It was hard enough to go out in front of crowds and living with the anxiety backstage, but this was personal. Beca wasn't good at personal. If anyone in their group was, it was Chloe. Which was why they made a good pair in the first place...Co-captains... Couple? Beca's mind was spinning just thinking about it. This was her best friend for nearly four years she was thinking about. The two of them were a perfect pair, sure. Together they led the Bella's to the National Championships three years in a row. Beca took care of the mixes and Chloe made up the choreography. Beca took care of Chloe when she was drunk and Chloe woke her up with coffee. Best friend stuff. Right? The whole thing was just confusing to Beca. She couldn't risk losing Chloe as a friend, especially considering Chloe knew nothing about Spider-Girl. Beca had never felt so stressed out in her life.

Beca was relieved when she walked into the auditorium and saw familiar faces among the crowd. The Trebles, Bumper and his crew, The Green Bay Packers, and the Bellas favorite group to hate, DSM, were all there. With the loud music and the party well on its way, the Bellas joined in and began to mingle. Beca was never good at such a thing. She was most comfortable with the girls and wanted more than anything to stick to Chloe's arm ( _Did she want to be Chloe's arm candy?)_. But that ended in an awkward exchange with Kommissar from DSM where Beca was left incredibly confused on why they wanted to ship her in a large envelope. It also left Beca with flushed cheeks. She knew she shouldn't have tried socializing. It was a mistake and when it was over, she was pretty sure Chloe thought she had a crush on Kommissar. In fact, every encounter with DSM had left Beca more sexually confused than the last. Was she gay? Bi? Her black button down added to the questions. Besides that, she didn't have time to think about it. When she was left alone, she quickly looked for someone else to hide behind. Her eyes quickly landed on Jesse Swanson.

"Hey!" Jesse was shouting over the music when she caught up to him.

"Hey! What're you doing here? What's going on?" She asked, the confusion of Sir Willups invitation catching up with her. _What did Sir Willups say he was? The Worlds Biggest A Cappella fan?_

"I don't know," he laughed, "but I'm glad you're here. We never got to finish our conversation from the other night." Jesse was doing his strange dance where he moved his shoulders and not the rest of his body. Beca's face was red from just standing next to him.

Beca furrowed her brow and shook her head, "I think that conversation was more than finished," she mumbled, her voice indefinitely softer than the music. It was in part a warning for Jesse to stop bringing up Spider-Girl at social gatherings.

"I just don't understand why-"

"Chloe saw Spider-Girl." Beca cut him off. She was tired of having the same conversation over and over and she had been dying to tell someone ever since it happened. Especially since she couldn't wrap her mind around it herself.

"She what?" Jesse looked like his eyes were popping out of their sockets and he stopped dancing.

Beca nodded slowly as if she was bobbing her head to the song. Before speaking, she looked around to make sure the other girls were on the far side of the room, "Chloe saw Spider-Girl." She repeated.

"How? When?" Jesse's voice was finally low enough to have this kind of conversation in public.

"Some douchebags backed her into an ally the other day," Beca said as they backed into a corner of the room, "And my senses.." she left it for him to fill in the blanks. She didn't want to be too forward about it, just in case, there was someone listening. Jesse and she had this talk before. He asked her one day how she knew when she had to be Spider-Girl and she had done her best to explain her sixth sense to him.

"Right," Jesse nodded and looked around the room. Beca could tell he was taking the information in, "What did she say? When you told her I mean,"

Beca shook her head, "I didn't."

The thought made her wonder though, how would Chloe react? Would she be happy Beca was Spider-Girl? Impressed? Did it even matter? Would she be mad about the lying? Of course, she would, who was Beca even kidding. Before Jesse could figure out a response, the gong rang. "I guess I gotta go," Jesse shrugged as the gong rang out again.

"Why?" Beca asked, but Jesse had already disappeared into the crowd and the Bella's were surrounding her. The dance floor quickly turned into a showdown as Sir Willups introduced the night's event - a riff off. A riff off that the Bella's would soon lose because Emily had never really been a part of one before. In some ways, Emily reminded Beca of her younger self from freshman year. She too had lost the riff off for the Bellas due to a technicality. Chloe almost ripped Emily's head off for it, but Beca found a way to defend her. Beca could understand Chloe's anger, though. Losing the riff off was just another knock against their reputation and

Beca was getting tired of the pilling stress. It was getting hard to look on the bright side when everything was going downhill.

And nothing was truer than that sentence. From that night on, everything was going downhill, if it was possible for it to get worse for Beca. The next day her boss told her that she had nothing to say in her music. She called Jesse to talk about it, but he didn't answer her. Spider-Girl was needed more often than not and Beca was wearing herself down. And just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, a few days after the riff off, Beca's _biggest_ problem started. If there was such a thing.

That night it was raining like there was no tomorrow - thunder, lightning, all of it. Beca was thankful that the Spider-Girl suit was elastic and even though it got claustrophobic, it let rain run right off it. At the same time, Chloe was on her way home from class and she should've been on campus, but she wasn't. She was in the heart of the city, nearing midnight, when the city was at its worse. The oddness should've tipped Beca off immediately, but it didn't. She was only focused on the fact that Chloe was in danger, again, and Beca could recognize that Chloe in danger was a different feeling than her normal sixth sense. Beca had already been out for the night as Spider-Girl when she felt it, because Amy had once again failed to return home for the evening (which Beca was only pretty sure was because Amy was spending her nights with Bumper again). So as soon as she sensed it, Beca was there, dressed in disguise as Chloe's favorite hometown hero.

There were only two boys this time, following her down the street. Chloe was walking a few feet in front of them with her purse clutched to her chest. She was walking fast and the boys were trailing her, their smiles as wide as the Cheshire cat. Beca couldn't help how disgusted she was by the whole thing. They were chasing after her and calling her names, while Spider-Girl followed them by rooftop. "Come on, sweet cheeks. You were all for teasing back at the bar!"

 _Was Chloe at a bar? This late, on a Tuesday?_ Beca thought, just before turning the corner of the rooftop and running down the edge. Luckily, even running down the side of a building didn't tip off these assholes. The elastic of her suit gave her run a silence like no other shoe would. Just before she reached the sidewalk, she kicked off and gave the first boy a roundhouse kick to the face. It was just enough to knock him to the ground and make the other guy turn. Even pressure of the fight, Beca could see Chloe in the background watching her like a hawk. Beca would know those blue eyes anywhere in the world. Even behind the mask of Spider-Girl, it felt like Chloe could see right through her.

While Beca was caught off guard, the second guy came at her with a punch and she just barely dodged it. At the end of his movement, Spider-Girl grabbed his wrist and pulled him over her body. His own body weight helped her push and gave her the momentum to flip him to the ground. Beca turned around to look for the first guy, but he had already fled. As soon as the second got to his feet, he was running away and slipping in the mud on his way. Beca couldn't help but laugh at the way they were so afraid of her. In a way, she was proud of it.

Once they were alone, Beca could feel Chloe's eye burning holes in the back of her head. Her heart started pounding again and the fight hadn't made her sweat as much as this did. _What was Chloe even doing out here? Shouldn't she have gone home after Russian Lit?_ Beca shook her head and ran for the nearest alley as a chance to escape any conversation. Her feet splashed in the puddles in the cracked sidewalk and she could hear Chloe's doing the same behind her. _Why is she following me?_ When Spider-Girl got to the end of the alley, she crawled up the wall to the rooftop above.

"Wait!" Beca could hear Chloe's hands slap against the brick wall beneath her. Beca swallowed and stopped running. She felt the rain tapping against her shoulders and her mask. She took a deep breath and shook her head. She couldn't walk away. Not now. She didn't know why or why not, but something was keeping her from walking away. So she turned back to the edge of the roof and slung a web on the top of the roof. Slowly, she lowered herself down so she was hanging upside down just a few feet above the ground.

At first, Chloe didn't see her and it gave her a real chance to look at her best friend. Her best friend whom she had just now started to develop a crush for. Her best friend who's hair was sticking to her face in the pouring rain. Her best friend who was out of breath from chasing Spider-Girl down the street. Her best friend who had no idea that _Spider-Girl_ was Beca all along. Beca swallowed before catching Chloe's attention, "You've got quite the knack for getting in trouble." Again, Beca tried to change her voice to keep her identity a secret. It helped that her suit helped muffle her voice.

Chloe jumped when Spider-Girl spoke. The redhead turned around and Beca all of a sudden couldn't breathe. Chloe was hardly a few inches from her face. Once Chloe saw her, she smiled wider than Beca had ever seen it before, "And you have a knack for saving my life," She played on the banter that made Beca smile too. For once she was happy that the mask kept Chloe from seeing her fully. It was embarrassing how easily Chloe could make her blush, "I think I have a superhero stalker." Chloe giggled and bit her lip. Beca always loved it when Chloe bit her lip. It was a reoccurring action that Chloe had been doing since Beca's freshman year tryouts and Beca had always loved it.

Beca shrugged if an upside down shrug counted as one at all, "I was in the neighborhood." She mumbled back. Somehow this moment felt more intimate than any other moment the two had shared. Beca's throat was dry and she was hardly keeping her grip on the web she was hanging onto.

Chloe shook her head, a smile still playing at her lips, "You are… amazing." Beca couldn't help but wonder if Chloe was getting closer. Was that even possible at this point?

"Some people don't think so," Beca was still set on what her boss had said earlier at her internship and how right he was. She was far from amazing. She had nothing to say.

"But you are," Chloe smirked, her eyes showing every bit of confidence that Beca had always lacked. _Did Chloe really think that Spider-Girl was amazing?_

"It's nice to have a fan." Beca tried to sound nonchalant about the whole thing. The mask once again was a large help.

Chloe took a step forward, the rain dripped off her chin and down the V-neck of her shirt. Her hair was a fire in the darkness of the alley and the lightning nearby gave them enough to go off of. Being this close, Beca tried to read Chloe's body language. Was she nervous? Beca had never been good at this. Chloe licked her lips and looked up to where Beca's lips were beneath the mask, "Do I get to say thank you this time?"

Beca didn't know what she was saying until Chloe was reaching up to the hem of Beca's mask, right where it lined up with her neck, "Wait." Beca, almost instinctively, said. A moment of silence passed between them as Chloe hesitated. When Beca didn't say anything else, Chloe started for her neck again and Beca's heart was beating out of her chest. It was as if the entire world had stopped moving around them.

Chloe pulled her mask up from her neck and Beca almost expected her to pull it off - but she didn't. Chloe stopped pulling as soon as she reached Beca's nose, revealing only from her nose to neck and giving Chloe no more of an indication as to who Spider-Girl really matter how many breaths Beca took in, it was like her lungs weren't filling all the way. The water dripped down Chloe's face and Chloe was having a hard time keeping her eyes open in the storm. Chloe let her hands fall to Beca's cheeks, wiped the rain off her lips, and leaned in.

At first, it was only a soft brush against Beca's lips. It sent shivers down her spine at the way Chloe's lips were the only warmth in the eye of the storm. Then it was an all of a sudden more intense - swift with gradation and absolutely _need_. Beca felt dizzy and at the moment, nearly forgot to hold on to her web - remembering only at the last moment to hold on tight. Chloe was insistent and every time their lips touched it was harder and with even more devotion. Even the sound of the rain was lost to Beca's ears as Chloe swept her tongue against Beca's lips. Beca almost immediately gave her entry and from that moment on Chloe gave her an onslaught of kisses, parting her lips wider with each kiss. Beca had never felt more electricity from a kiss in her life from anyone. The world and Beca's mind - everything she had been thinking about before - was all but silenced. Beca was vulnerable and unimaginably shocked, so much so that she _couldn't_ stop it even _if_ she wanted to and she couldn't _ever_ imagine wanting to. The mere action Chloe Beale kissing her made her heart beat out of her ears.

Finally, _finally_ Chloe pulled away and as she did, she put Beca's mask back where it had been covering Beca's identity completely. Chloe smiled, but before she could do anything more, Beca slung a web up to an adjacent rooftop and pulled herself up and away from the redhead in the rain. Beca could hear Chloe laugh as she flew out of sight and she couldn't help her own smile too. Chloe Beale had _kissed_ her. Well, Spider-Girl. And all she could think about as she ran back to the house is whether or not the Bellas would hear about it tomorrow. And little did Beca know that Spider-Girl was stirring a problem up in Chloe's mind. A problem that would get her into a lot more trouble, a lot more crime, and a lot more of a headache for Spider-Girl to handle. On top of everything else, that is.


	6. Chapter 6 - recurring dream or nightmare

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep letting me know what you think. Follow me on Tumblr ezrajclarke**

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The Situation only became too normal by the fourth night Beca saved Chloe from the trouble she had brought on herself. So normal, in fact, that Beca was not only catching on, but getting worried about Chloe's safety. Spider-Girl hadn't talked to Chloe since they had kissed on night two and every night she stayed in the shadows to make sure Chloe got home safe after. And surprisingly, Chloe hadn't spoken to any of the girls about it, especially not Beca. In the meantime, Amy had confronted Beca about her internship which made Beca even more uncomfortable to know that her roommate had been searching through her bag. She had always carried the Spider-Girl outfit with her and she was lucky Amy hadn't found that in her bag. It was the second time someone had asked her why she hadn't told Chloe about it and she could only gather that she didn't want to disappoint Chloe by getting ready for the rest of her life. She didn't want to think that Beca was ready to leave the Bellas, but in the end being a music producer was her dream. Even if she didn't have what it took to do it. During their talk, Beca gathered that Amy had been spending her time with Bumper, but wasn't ready to tell her about it yet. Amy helped her with confidence, but it really just pushed her farther into her own mind with nonstop thoughts about, well, everything.

The Bellas had a terrible show at a venue Chloe had set up for them, mostly because they were trying to be anyone but themselves - which left Beca back at square one. She had no original work to show for her internship, she had no mixes for the Bellas to perform at worlds, and she had absolutely no idea how to stop her redheaded best friend from going out every other night to look for danger. For Beca. For Spider-Girl? Beca wished more than anything that she could just show Chloe that she was right here. That she didn't have to go looking for the girl that was right next to her every day and night.

Chloe's big plan to get the Bellas on track turned into a retreat at Aubrey's team building camp a few hours away. Chloe said it would help them "find their sound." Beca wasn't exactly for leaving a city for the entire weekend, but Stacie jumped on board to see her girlfriend so quick that the other Bellas just fell in line. It seemed like everyone else in the group needed a chance to break away from their lives being as Amy had just broken up with Bumper and the rest of the girls were still bummed about their last gig. So Chloe planned the retreat for the following weekend and Beca silently brooded over how much she didn't want to go with all of the other stress she was facing in her life. She didn't think a retreat was going to help her get through any of this. So the day before they left, Beca paid a visit to Jesse's apartment, somewhere she didn't often want to go, but she did because she needed to talk to someone who knew everything.

Beca knocked on the door for the second time and she was just about ready to walk away when Jesse answered. The boy was practically in shock from the fact that Beca Mitchell was actually standing at his door and asking for the opportunity to talk about her feelings. The whole situation was beyond him and Beca could only roll her eyes at his jokes. Jesse let her in and she could hardly sit down. He made coffee in the meantime and Beca started to tell him the story, "Chloe kissed me," She breathed it out as if she was trying to convince herself that it happened at all.

"She what?" Once again he was like a child in a movie theater. He took another sip of his coffee, his eyebrows high with anticipation.

"She kissed me...Well, sort of," Beca paced back and forth and she was talking with her hands the way she always had when she got anxious, "She kissed Spider-Girl… Last week, after I saved her life."

"Wait, the douchebags in the alley? Why didn't you tell me before?" He furrowed his brow.

"No. Different douchebags after the riff off. She lifted up my mask and kissed me and she still doesn't know who I am." Beca twiddled her thumbs as she watched Jesse process what she was saying. She tried not to look around his apartment, trying to give him the right to his privacy. The last time she was here she got blood all over his carpet and she was pretty dizzy from there lack thereof blood in her body, so she didn't' see much. From what she could see, Jesse was a pretty neat guy. He kept his apartment relatively clean and of course, the guy had to have a home theater in his living room.

"So she kissed Spider-Girl. Not you." Jesse clarified, sitting his coffee on the coaster sitting on the coffee table. Beca nodded and he sighed, running his hand over his wrinkled forehead. To Beca, he looked like a disappointed parent.

Beca nodded, "Yes. And now every other night she gets into trouble just to see Spider-Girl and Spider-Girl hasn't even talked to her since the night we kissed, but she just won't stop." She was starting to feel like Jesse was her therapist.

"So why don't you just tell her the truth?" Jesse was persistent, Beca could give him that. His whole face was a giant smirk. Beca could think of a million reasons not to tell the girls, but Jesse would want her to, regardless.

"That wouldn't make it less complicated, besides, if Chloe knew who Spider-Girl was than she would be in more danger than if any of the other girls knew," Beca rolled her eyes at his suggestion. She should've known better than to ask him for advice in the first place. The whole idea of getting advice just sounded stupid to her now.

"And she would be in more danger because?" He asked it as if he was the most innocent person in the world - as if he had no clue the dangers of knowing Spider-Girl's identity. Though, to be fair, in all the time that he knew the truth, nothing bad had happened to him.

"Because I like Chloe and if anyone knew who Spider-Girl really was they would just use that to their advant-" before she got to the end of her sentence, she realized what he was getting at and saying it out loud was just confirming it's reality. Beca liked Chloe, a lot, and all of this was freaking her out more because of those feelings, "Fuck." She muttered and Jesse smiled with all of his teeth, "Can you stop smiling?" She folded her arms and slouched into a chair.

Jesse shook his head out of his consistent smiling, "Okay, I'm sorry. But how about you try talking to her as Beca? Try to get her to stay in for the night and keep her busy so she doesn't go looking for trouble?" Beca was impressed with how hard he tried to stay away from the topic of love. She oddly appreciated him for it.

And he was right. If ignoring her as Spider-Girl didn't work, then maybe talking to her as Beca did. So Beca left Jesse's apartment and headed to class where she spent the entire day nervous about talking to Chloe at all. Was that what this was coming to? Was she pushing Chloe away because of her feelings? Maybe when she got home, she would ask Chloe if she wanted to marathon one of her favorite TV shows. Chloe would probably be suspicious at first. After all, Beca didn't often enjoy watching movies or sitting in one place long enough to marathon anything, but being as it was such a big opportunity, she might take it. Like a date. Or not a date. Beca tried to keep herself from going down the rabbit hole again. These days it was getting hard not to get stuck in the whirlwind that was Chloe Beale, but Beca tried her best. Of course, instead, she spent the entire day thinking about not thinking about it instead. Class after class, it was hard to function. She tapped her pencil, clicked her pen, tapped her foot in the back and fidgeted. Why was this so hard? It was just hanging out with her best friend. That shouldn't be something that she thought about like this - but Chloe did kiss her. Well, Spider-Girl. The whole double life thing was just confusing. Chloe didn't kiss Beca, she kissed Spider-Girl, so tonight shouldn't be any different than the times before.

Beca arrived home late into the evening once she finished at her internship and the house was oddly quiet. This was one of the few nights the girls didn't make dinner together because their schedules were so varied, so they were all left to fend for themselves. Beca wasn't even sure who was home and who was out and normally she would've been thankful for the peace and quiet, but tonight it made her stomach drop. If Chloe wasn't home than she might be looking to get into trouble and Beca couldn't handle it if something happened to her. Just as her mind was going down the rabbit hole again, she heard it.

"Hey Bree." The door to Chloe's room was cracked just a few feet from the front door. In all honesty it wasn't Beca's fault that her door was open and it definitely wasn't her fault that Chloe's room was the only room on the first floor. It couldn't really be considered eavesdropping, right? Regardless, Beca sat her messenger bag by the staircase and tiptoed over to Chloe's door, standing just out a few inches away from the door frame so she could hear.

"Everything okay?" It was the first time Beca heard Aubrey's voice in a few weeks and since Aubrey moved out of the Bella house, it was more of a pleasure for Beca. There was a lot less tension without them knocking heads when it came to leadership. Beca and Chloe, on the other hand, had taken over the Bella's in a relatively flawless way. Once Aubrey started visiting it gave the two time to get to know each other and Beca found them to be better friends without the competitions getting in the way.

"Yeah, I just couldn't wait till tomorrow to tell you and I'm aca-freaking out." Chloe laughed and Beca rolled her eyes at the coined Bella phrasing. Beca couldn't heard Aubrey's response before Chloe continued, "Spider-Girl kissed me."

Pretty sure you kissed me, but okay. Beca bit her lip when she heard Chloe's voice repeating what Beca herself hadn't stopped thinking about for days.

"When did you even see Spider-Girl?" Aubrey - always showing those same logistics that Stacie had. It had to be logical or it wasn't real.

"Just some douchebags were...well, it doesn't matter. Not the point. Spider-Girl kissed me. Did you hear that part?" Chloe asked.

"Chloe, are you okay? Did they hurt you?" For once Aubrey and Beca were on the same side. At very least Aubrey was putting up the same argument Beca had for Chloe looking for Spider-Girl. It wasn't safe.

"No, no, of course not. I'm fine Bree.." Chloe was paving around her room and Beca had to take a few steps back to keep from being noticed, "It's just, Spider-Girl kisses me."

"Okay… That's aca amazing Chloe." She paused before asking, "So who is she?"

Beca found that her grip was tighter on the door frame at the question. She expected that Chloe didn't know who Spider-Girl was, but this how she'd really know. Her hands were shaking at the silence. In an effort to see, she craned her neck in a strange way and found Chloe standing next to her bed, still and biting her lip. She shut her eyes tight when she admitted, "I don't know."

Again a pause and this time Beca and Chloe were both anxiously awaiting what Aubrey had to say. Finally came the bland and straight forward response, the kind Beca could always depend on Aubrey for. It wasn't a bad thing, Aubrey had always been the grounding one of the group. She was realistic and that's why the first words out of her mouth were, "So you kissed a stranger."

Beca felt her stomach drop at the words. She was absolutely confused by her feelings. She didn't want Chloe going out every night to find Spider-Girl, but if she didn't, did that mean she'd never get to kiss Chloe again? Chloe sure wasn't talking about Beca the way she was about Spider-Girl and she couldn't risk their friendship, "I don't feel like I kissed a stranger, Bree," Chloe was back to pacing which meant Beca had to back away, "I feel like I know her, I,"

Before Chloe could finish, Beca stumbled backwards and crashed into her own bag by the staircase. She vaguely heard Chloe hang up on Aubrey and she tried to compose herself enough to look casual. She looked like anything but casual. Chloe walked out the door and Beca was laying over top of her bag, her arms gripping the edge of the staircase, "Becs?" Beca looked up to see her and smiled awkwardly, "Are you okay?" Chloe's words came out slow and disjointed. She was confused and understandably so.

Chloe furrowed her brow at the way Beca was laying there, practically unmoved from the moment she fell. Realizing this, Beca scrambled to her feet and pulled her bag up over her shoulder, "Uh, yeah." She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry so she cleared her throat instead, "I'm fine. I uh, just tripped."

"O-kay…" Chloe looked her up and down in a weird way, but when she opened her mouth to say something else, Beca cut her off.

"Well, goodnight."

Real Casual Mitchell. She didn't think that was weird at all.

"Good...night?" Chloe tilted her head in a you're acting weird way, but Beca didn't give her much time to think it through before running up the steps.

Beca tried not to look back as she rushed up the stairs and straight into her and Amy's room. Except, not as casual or smooth as she wished she had. Because she had been in a rush and couldn't keep her balance straight, She stumbled through the door and slammed it behind her. As the door closed, she tripped on a shirt lying on the ground and started to fall onto her back. Almost instinctively, she shot a web from her fingertips and onto the ceiling. Gripping onto it, she pulled herself onto her feet and took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself from the storm she created. That's when she noticed that for once in the entire semester, Amy was home early. And staring intently at the line of web next to Beca.

"Amy," Beca said cautiously and Amy's eyes flickered from the web to Beca, than back to the web. Beca could practically see her putting the two things together in her mind. Her eyes were wide with anticipation and interest and over all, excitement, "Amy, I-"

"You're Spider-Girl!" Amy couldn't have said it much louder and Beca immediately put a finger to her lips as a request for her best friend to be quiet. After the shushing, Amy whispered, "You're Spider-Girl!"

Beca looked at the web she had spun and hung her head in defeat. She pulled the web off the ceiling and crumbled it up in a ball. Her shoulders dropped low and she scratched the back of her head. After a minute of silence to think, Beca looked over to the blonde, who's watch hadn't wavered, "I, uh...no way of getting out of that…huh?" She hesitated before she walked slowly over to Amy's bed and sat down, "Yeah." She looked Amy directly in the eye, a motion that she wasn't fond of, "I am."

Amy started rambling almost immediately, "And I thought your internship was a big secret, but you've got a BIG secret. Wow, I mean Spider-Girl. You're all over the news and you kick those guys asses and-"

Beca couldn't help the way she smiled. That was the way she wanted anyone to take her being Spider-Girl. It was a hard pill to swallow and she could never gauge how anyone would react to it. Of course, Beca had never been good at figuring anyone out so that didn't help much, "Amy,"

"Oh my god and you literally save peoples lives, Beca. How do you even have time between the Bellas and School and this job, I mean this is crazier than-"

"Amy."

"When did you find out you could do those things? Do you get hurt? Can you sling a web anywhere? Can you really climb up walls?"

"AMY." Beca hated raising her voice, but Amy finally shut her mouth at the sound, "I'm sorry, I'll answer all of the questions you want, but you have to know that you can't tell anyone about this."

Amy was for once silent at the thought of keeping such a big secret and for once in the entire time that Beca had known Amy, she hesitated, "Nobody else knows? Not even Chloe?"

Beca rubbed her temples, "No, Chloe doesn't know," But sometimes it might be easier if she did, "Jesse knows," Amy opened her mouth to ask why but Beca answered it before she could pose the question, "A while ago I got hurt and it was bad. Jesse apartment was nearby and he helped me." She didn't need to go into the details.

"Wow." Beca had never seen Amy so astonished. Amy shook her head and drew an X in the air over her chest, "Cross my heart I won't."

Beca gave her a half smile with her lips, "Thank you." she practically mumbled it and before the moment could pass, Amy continued with her bombardment of questions as to how and why and where her powers came from. She had to explain it all over again, the same way she had with Jesse about a year ago. About her trip to Oscorps and being bitten. How her powers worked and what she could do with them. Her sixth sense. By the end of the night Amy would know all of her secrets the way Jesse did and there would be a small group that Beca could confide in.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Retreat

**Thank you for the reviews and follows! Keep them up! Follow me on Tumblr ezrajclarke**

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"I'm sorry, what're we doing?"

Beca couldn't remember how she started fighting with Chloe. It probably started when they got to the campsite and not only was she practically _forbid_ from being Spider-Girl for the weekend, but Aubrey took her laptop and all of their phones. Or maybe it started in the hours they spent putting up the two tents, one of which had a branch destroy it right after.

"We're rediscovering our sound," Chloe sighed out in frustration, her arms folded over her tank top. Beca wondered how long she had been holding it in. Had she been so self-involved that she hardly noticed how stressed Chloe was too? How long had it been that they were on two different sides of the same coin - kissing in an alley and distant in the same house?

Maybe, she started fighting with Chloe the second she had to share a sleeping space with every single one of the Bellas. Yes, they were close, but that was a new level of closeness and Beca Mitchell had trouble with change. Or maybe it was when Chloe told her that this was _bonding_ and a chance to get to know _everything_ about each other which caused Beca to put her walls up to protect Spider-Girl. Maybe it's because Chloe refused to listen to her when she made it blatantly obvious that she wanted to go home.

"Are we? 'Cause it seems like we're just singing songs that we would never out in our set." Beca regretted the words as soon as she saw Chloe's reaction to them. The way her jaw dropped open, her posture at odds with Beca. She never wanted to see Chloe look at her that way. _She wanted to cherish Chloe._

Or maybe, just _Maybe_ they started fighting when Chloe had turned to her and told her that she would always regret not doing enough "experimenting" in college. What did that even mean? Experimenting with _girls?_ Experimenting with Beca? Beca didn't want to experiment _she wanted a relationship._

"Beca c'mon-"

"No, none of us know how to beat Das Sound Machine, but I know it's not going to be by doing this." All eyes were on Beca now and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. The sunlight beat down on her neck like the pressure of the situation.

"It's an exercise in finding harmony, Beca, Sometimes you have to break stuff down before you can build it up-" Aubrey started at her.

Maybe it was because this _retreat_ took away everything she was stressed out working on and needed to finish.

"I have more important things to do!" She practically screamed it and despite how upset she was, It felt good to finally just _scream._

There was a pause, then, "What could be more important than this?" Chloe's eyebrows furrowed at the brunette and Beca's heart rate sped. She wanted to be honest. She wanted to say _Saving lives! Being Spider-Girl!_

Beca took a deep breath, "Nothing, forget it-" She was making a scene and the last thing she needed was to explode like this. Although, she couldn't help knowing that this had been coming for a long time. Beca had never been able to handle stress well and now, taking it out on Chloe she wondered why she ever thought she could do an internship, school, the Bellas, and be Spider-Girl.

"You think we haven't noticed that you've been a little checked out lately?" Chloe wasn't letting this go and Beca wasn't sure what excuse to give. Did she lie again? Here and now, I'm front of all of the Bellas? The lies were building up under the surface and it made Beca's skin itch.

"Come on Beca, just tell her-" Beca couldn't help the death stare she gave Amy. _Tell her what? That I'm Spider-Girl?_ She scoffed at the very thought. Here and now in front of all of the Bellas. Amy didn't know the half of it. Hell, Chloe didn't know the half of it Chloe had no idea that the girl she had kissed a week ago was Beca and Beca was beginning to hate it.

"I heard that. Tell me what?" Chloe asked it and she was mad. Furious, even. Beca could see it in her eyes. The way the cerulean in them could also burn like fire reminded Beca why she even liked Chloe in the first place. This wasn't a fight out of nowhere. Between the two of them, it was stress over what they were both passionate for.

"You misunderstood me…" Amy stumbled through an excuse with made up words and Beca closed her eyes, "Listen, I don't want you guys to fight. You're Beca and Chloe, together your bloe and everyone loves a good bloe… so," The breeze hit Beca's face and she couldn't help but wonder if she would have enjoyed this trip without all of the stress she had. The lake was beautiful, the camp was gorgeous, and the activities they did would've been fun if she wasn't worried about everything else. She just wished she could've spent this weekend with Chloe the right way. And maybe they would've bonded too. She swallowed. This is the last way she wanted to tell Chloe anything. This was most definitely _not_ the right time.

"Okay." She breathed out, "I've been interning at a legit music producer wants to hear my work. God forbid I have something going on outside this group."

Chloe bit her lip and took a minute. Beca's stomach flipped under the anticipation, "Okay, so why would you keep something like that from us?" The genuine hurt in Chloe's voice wouldn't register with Beca until later that night.

"'Cause you're obsessed! You all are! We're graduating and the only person thinking about life after the Bellas is me!" She was just screaming because everything around her was starting to become white noise.

"What's so wrong with being focused on the Bellas? This has been my family for seven years!" Now Bellas moved to sit on the picnic table nearby, all eyes on their co-captains. Beca was starting to question whether she and Chloe were such great team leaders after all. How did Beca not see this brimming at the surface?

"Only cause you're too scared to leave! Sack up, dude!" Beca hated the feeling of tension between her and Chloe, but getting having everything on the table was important. She could hear the Bellas whispering about what she said. Everything just felt like one line cross after another.

"Oh great. So you've been lying to us all year and now is when you choose to flake out?! The Worlds are-"

"Oh my god." She screamed, "Enough about the Worlds! I am out of here."

She could hear Chloe yelling to her from behind, "Oh, what? So you're just going to leave now?" It was anger fueled by pain that neither girl knew how to communicate verbally

"We all have to eventually Chloe, might as well be now! And if you all know what's good for you, you'll follow m-" It would've been a good line to end on if she hadn't walked into a bear trap and had to beg Chloe to help get her down. And hey, even if it was the most unconventional way possible, they did find a way to bond and after probably the longest day of her life, it helped. Chloe was right. She was taking her frustrations with everything she put on herself out on the rest of the girls. And now that it was out in the air, she could lean on them for it.

Nightfall came fast after the girls helped her down and they started setting up for a campfire. It was a beautiful night under the stars and Beca couldn't help but feel like there wasn't any place else she'd rather be. Even with all of the stress, she had people to lean on and she often forgot that she could do that. It helped that everything was out in the air. It helped that Chloe knew about her internship and after all was said and done, Chloe congratulated her on it. The very thought of Chloe being happy for her made her proud of the whole thing. As the rest of the girls were getting ready for the fire, Aubrey took Beca inside to grab some ice to ease some of the bruising after the fall.

When Beca walked into the cabin, she was thankful that one small piece of the campsite had air conditioning. Aubrey walked her to the back of the cabin to an office that seemed to be hers. The desk at her name tag followed by "camp manager" and three pictures running across it. The first was of Aubrey and her dad, the second of Aubrey and Chloe, and the third of the Bellas from the year Aubrey graduated. Behind the desk was a freezer full of ice. Beca commented on the size of freezer and Aubrey would only tell her that the camp methods were unconventional. The thought only made Beca a little nervous. Aubrey filled handed her the bag of ice, then leaned back on the freezer as Beca picked a bruise to ice down. The cabin brought on a stillness that Beca wasn't used to. The only sound in the room was an analog clock on the far wall.

"You're going to have to tell her, you know," Aubrey watched the Bellas campsite from the window. Jessica and Ashley were piling logs into the fire pit, while Chloe tried to light one of the ones on the bottom. They were laughing and carrying on. A picture of near-perfect harmony, the way Beca always wanted it to be. The thought of that picture changing when she graduated sent a chill down her spine. She didn't want this to change. They were her family.

"What?" Beca tilted her head at the abruptness of the sentence. Aubrey had her back turned to Beca so the brunette had no way of gauging her words into any context. The ice started to chill her skin so she moved it to her other shoulder. This was the first time she had truly thought about the bruises she had gathered. She might have been "clumsy," but the purple cursive bruises across her arms and legs were no joke. They usually healed in a few days and Beca usually stuck to wearing long sleeves, but it was so hot in the camp that she had chosen shorts and a t-shirt, which only highlighted her wounds.

"You're going to have to tell Chloe at some point or another," Aubrey continued to keep her in the dark. The blonde folded her arms and watched Chloe get the fire lit. Chloe celebrated and the rest of the girls congratulated her. Stacie handed out blankets and they began to settle for the night.

"I don't follow," Beca replied, her eyes watching Aubrey's back and the scene of the girls outside the window.

"Beca, she knows she didn't kiss a stranger," Aubrey's voice was lower and Beca tried not to react.

"Aubrey, what are you talking-"

"Your secret is safe with me," Aubrey continued, ignoring Beca's notions, "But one way or another she's going to find out. I would advise you to tell her the truth before she finds out and you both get hurt." If Beca was asked about it later, she would consider it a threat.

If anything, she felt like Spider-Girl was getting hard to keep track of. That was three people in her inner circle, if that meant that Aubrey was in her inner circle. She didn't really seem like she was, but Beca could understand why. She was looking out for Chloe, the way she always had. It had been a few weeks since Chloe's obsession with Spider-Girl started and Beca was quiet about it. Regardless, that was still two more people who knew that didn't last week and Beca wasn't sure how she felt about that. She had to be more careful with this secret. If she kept the streak she had going, the rest Bellas would know before the end of the semester. Aubrey's words would echo in her head for the rest of the night after they rejoined the Bellas around the campfire.

Around that campfire, a lot of things changed. The tension is Beca's shoulders depleted as she apologized to the girls and Chloe would tell her a million times over that she should've just said something. And finally, after all the days of ignoring it, the girls talked about what their plans would be after graduation and how they would continue on with their lives. Overall, Beca was scared, but she knew these girls were her family and when they were all gone from Barden University, that would never change. The look Chloe gave her when she sang her audition song was a look that Beca would not soon get out of her head.


	8. Chapter 8 - Insomnia

**Hello! Taking a poll, I have the next chapter after this ready to post. It's a short one, but big, and it's a violent scene. Are you okay with Violence? There will, of course, be a trigger warning at the beginning and on the fic itself. I can also post a chapter summary for those who chose to skip it due to triggers. Let me know what you think. Please Review! Follow me on Tumblr** ezrajclarke

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Beca Mitchell stood in the shadows of the Bella house on the first floor just past three in the morning. It was the few hours between late at night and early in the morning when the house was quiet. Her hands were shaking and clammy. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her face was red from just standing there. Her eyes were fixated on Chloe's bedroom door, which was closed and Beca knew that Chloe would be dead asleep. But it was one of those nights where she couldn't sleep at all. Her doctors had called it insomnia, but she never took medication for it. Back in her freshman year, Chloe had stayed up with her all night if that's what it took to help her sleep and Beca had grown to sleep easier with Chloe next to her. Only tonight that wouldn't work, because she was up for a reason.

Beca had gotten through the last two weeks nearly unscathed. Nearly. And in some ways, it had been nice to have a few more people to lean on with her secret. The Bellas had all around spent more time together. They made dinner together every night they could and spent the last two weekends working on the music for Worlds. In Beca's free time she was either working on the mix for Worlds or working with Emily on her original work. Beca loved the time she got to spend with Emily. She was an incredible songwriter and Beca could tell that she would make a great addition to their little family. It made her regret not making time to get to know her when she joined the Bellas back in the fall. Amy got really good at covering for her when she had to be Spider-Girl and it was honestly really nice to have someone who could actually help her. Jesse was a great person to talk to and helpful when it came to advice, but he hardly had anything to do with the Bellas.

Aubrey and Beca had been texting more than they ever had before. It started when Beca had asked her how she knew anything. Aubrey explained that it started with the bruises up and down her arms, then it was the way she carried more than her weight in the bags they had brought, but the biggest factor was that she found the suit in Beca's bag when she was looking for electronics. Since then, Beca had tried to hide the things Aubrey noticed. She kept up with the long sleeves and pants despite the weather. She also tried her best not to wear her abilities on her sleeve. It made life harder, but keeping her secret was really important, especially with the number of enemies Spider-Girl was gathering.

In those two weeks, Spider-Girl had been even more popular. Beca was pretty consistently missing a few classes and she had to make it up with more work that she didn't really have time to do. Her boss at the internship gave her extra time to work on something original and told her to let him know whenever she was ready to share with the class. Beca had a bit of trouble gauging his level of interest in her work, but she was pretty sure he was happy that she was taking her time to get into it. Spider-Girl's popularity, unfortunately, came from more enemies on her radar having abilities similar to her. And fighting other people with these kinds of abilities was a lot harder than pulling people out of a fire.

Chloe had stopped going out to look for Spider-Girl, though every once in a while Beca had pinpointed her in a crowd during a fight, taking pictures on her phone. It was nice that Chloe was still interested, but Beca was glad that she wasn't looking for trouble. Beca had enough on her plate as it was, but at least now she had people to lean on to help her work through it.

And none of that was what Beca was thinking about as she stood in front of Chloe's door at three in the morning.

It had been two weeks since Aubrey had talked to her about Spider-Girl and really, two weeks since Aubrey's threat. Beca had no real intention of telling Chloe about her abilities or her feelings for her. Spider-Girl had been fighting people that she didn't just put behind bars anymore. The enemies Beca had were enemies that would always come back to teach Spider-Girl a lesson and if they knew who Spider-Girl was, the Bellas would be in danger. This was a new threat that made Beca wish that the people who knew didn't know, but she couldn't help that. The only thing she could help is stopping more people from finding out. Including Chloe.

In all honesty, Beca was kind of hoping that Aubrey would forget about it. Of course, ignoring the threat might have not been the best course of action, but for two weeks it worked pretty well. Everyone went back to their daily schedule and the since her and Chloe's fight, the Bellas were stronger than ever. Amy got back together with Bumper, Stacie and Aubrey we're still in the honeymoon phase years later, and Emily was overly excited to bring her mom with them to Worlds. Aubrey hadn't even brought it up. Well, hadn't brought it up until now, after she talked to a Chloe. They were on the phone for hours and Beca only assumed that Aubrey figured out that Chloe was still clueless. Beca got a text from Aubrey soon after.

 _If you don't tell her, I will._

Beca wanted to be mad at Aubrey. After all, Spider-Girl was Beca's secret and a huge, much bigger than her internship kind of secret. She wanted to tell Aubrey that it wasn't her secret to tell. That this whole thing was none of her business. That it was between Beca and Chloe. But underneath the threats, Aubrey was looking out for Chloe's best interests. She cared about Chloe and so did Beca. The two were just at different odds as to how that was to be done - and to be fair they shouldn't be making decisions for her anyway. That should be Chloe's decision. Beca wished she could just tell Chloe and if it went badly, take it all back. But that wasn't an option and Beca hadn't a clue how Chloe would take the news. Especially after they kissed.

So here Beca was with clammy and shaking hands, pacing outside of Chloe's room in shorts and a tank top. There were a million and one things she wanted to tell Chloe. That she missed hanging out with her the way they could last year when Beca wasn't so busy. That she loved Chloe's smile and the good attitude she had about Beca's internship. She wanted to thank her for accepting her apology for keeping the secret in the first place. She wanted to thank her for being her best friend and apologize for being so far away all the time. She wanted to apologize for her social anxiety. She wanted to tell her that she liked Chloe.

Spider-Girl was not on that list.  
But she was knocking now and she couldn't run away.

"Huh?" Chloe's voice was groggy and the raspiness brought a smile to Beca's lips. Beca loved Chloe's voice when she woke up in the morning. It was hoarse and beautiful and sexy. fucking Christ Beca, get your head out of the gutter

Beca pushed the door open a crack and slipped in, "Chlo?" she mumbled. Chloe was laying on her stomach in bed, bundled up in the pile of blankets she had collected over the years. Her eyes were only partly opened and she squinted when the light from outside the door fluttered in. Beca shut the door as quietly as possible, while Chloe blinked a few times in an attempted to wake up.

"Hey," The redhead smiled with all of her teeth and Beca could've sworn that her smile could substitute a night light. Beca, at first stayed by the oak door - as if she hadn't been the one to come see Chloe. Chloe turned on her side and backed up, giving Beca room to sit down. Beca tried to avoid the jeans, lab coat, and scrubs strewn across the room. Tonight was one of Chloe's latest classes. A medical diagnostics lab that ran until ten or eleven once a week. Beca knew Chloe's schedule well. Being a pre-med student was hard and Chloe's schedule was the most spastic of all the Bellas. Beca always wondered if there was a reason Chloe had always failed Russian Lit. The rest of Chloe's classes would've been more believable. Maybe it was a cry for help that Beca hadn't really thought about until now.

Chloe opened her arms as Beca neared the bed, "Can't sleep?" she asked.

Beca shook her head, "No,"

Chloe only motioned with her arms for Beca to Come here. Beca smiled and took the few more steps to close the distance between herself and the bed. She laid down gently, being as gentle with her body as she could. Chloe covered her with the other half of her blanket. Beca nuzzled into the comforter and sunk into Chloe's warmth. Before Beca knew what she was doing, Chloe slipped an arm around Beca's waist and pulled her close. Beca couldn't help the way she froze at the touch and winced when Chloe our pressure on her stomach. Chloe had always been a touchy person. It was a huge part of who Chloe was. But Beca had a huge bruise encasing her stomach and hip. It was one of a few wounds from the night before that had yet to heal and it was even more painful then the others were.

"Becs?" Chloe loosened her arm and sat up, almost immediately recognizing the sound of Beca's voice when she was in pain. It was something she had learned their first year living in the Bella house. Beca had always been a bit clumsy and Chloe had always come running to her aid, "Are you okay?"

Beca waved her hand, cleared her throat, and tried to hide the pain in her ton, "Yeah, Yeah, I'm fine," she lied through her teeth, but it didn't work. The words came out high pitched and more like a cry for help.

Beca looked over at Chloe, who furrowed a brow back, entirely unconvinced, "Are you sure? You sounded like you were in pain."

Beca shook her head, "Oh, it's nothing. I uh, hit my side on a table at work."

"Oh, okay. Are you okay? Did I hit it? Are you sure you don't want me to take a look at it?" Chloe's eyes were filled with worry that flooded out with her expression. Beca had never had to lie about Spider-Girl in such a personal way. When the Bellas has asked about her battle scars before, she always threw them off. It helped that she was clumsy before she got the powers. She would always make up some reason for why she had gotten hurt, but this was so intimate. It was one thing to lie in public, it was another to lie to Chloe's face.

Beca chuckled and turned around so she was facing Chloe and confirmed, "Chlo, I'm okay. Really. No big deal." As she said the words she could physically see the tension leave Chloe's shoulders. Worry still filled her eyes, but Beca was going to take what she could get.

"Okay," Chloe grinned as she laid back down next to Beca and slipped her arm back around her waist. And as Beca was laying there in Chloe's arms she couldn't help but wonder if this was the way it had always been. Had they been like this before? Beca had never over thought it when Chloe cuddled into her, but here and now, it felt different. She was overtly aware of how Chloe's arm was touching her skin and her stomach was doing flips. It reminded her of how close they had been in the tent at the retreat when Chloe had told her she wished she had done more experimenting. It reminded her of the first night they kissed in the alleyway and in the rain.  
Suddenly, the air felt thin. Tension filled the room as both girls were just staring at each other. Beca was sure that a Chloe was more awake now then she had been a few moments ago and she gulped. She hoped her heart rate wasn't bursting through her chest. It was loud enough to be coming through her ears and she wondered if Chloe could hear it too. Her hand was shaking again as she slipped it around Chloe's waist and pulled the redhead closer. She could've sworn she saw Chloe's eyes glance at her lips and look back up at her. Teal met cerulean and Chloe bit her lip. Beca wanted to lean in. She wanted to kiss Chloe the way Chloe kissed her weeks ago. In fact, that's all Beca has wanted since it happened the first time. Why was it so hard to do it again?

Beca knew the answer. It had always been the answer. She couldn't honestly start to have anything with Chloe, if this was anything, she couldn't start it on a lie. She refused to start a relationship with the girl of her dreams with a lie. So Beca backer away and turned around, pulled Chloe's arm with her. Chloe snuggled into the crook of her neck, realizing the moment was coming to an end and Beca whispered, "Chlo?" Chloe only hummed back as a response and it vibrated in the back of Beca's neck. Was Chloe really like this with everyone? "Thank you."

"Of course." And this time Chloe squeezed her waist. Beca kept quiet though and enjoyed the feeling. She knew she would enjoy the feeling for as long as it lasted because in the end - Aubrey was right. Eventually, Beca would have to tell Chloe the truth. Just not right now.


	9. Chapter 9 - A Taste of Blood

**TRIGGER WARNING, Mild violence in this chapter! Hope you all enjoy reading. For those of you who would like to skip, there is a summary at the bottom of the chapter as well as in the next chapter. Follow me on Tumblr ezrajclarke.** **Please Review!**

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He wrote his signature on Spider-girl's stomach in black and blue, but he used his fist instead of a pen. His armor left a special engraving on her skin, similar to a wax seal on a letter. The discoloration spread like the black plague down her spine. Her back arched against the cold slab of brick as he held her by the collar. His strength brought her a foot off the ground. The knuckles of his green suit were covered in a harsh red, which Beca could only assume was her blood. Her stomach was his punching bag on the cusp of breaking in two. Beca would be able to picture his grin, wide like the Cheshire cat, for weeks. His laugh will haunt her in her sleep.

 _Fuck off, asshole._

All of her muscles tightened against his assault. He must've been three times her size. She couldn't move under his grip and every blow made it harder to keep fighting. She couldn't keep count of how many times she had been hit. He broke three of her ribs without breaking a sweat and she could feel each one crack. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, forcing her to stay awake. His grip on her collar thrust into her neck. He pulled her down on his shoulder and shoved his knee into her gut. Iron filled her mouth and she could see it spew to the alley floor.

Despite her hardest attempts, she could hardly remember how she got there. The day was average if she was remembering it correctly. Well, sort of average. Aubrey had come down to the Bella house for the weekend to spend it with Stacie and the girls. But, when she arrived, Beca and Chloe were still in bed together and Aubrey wasn't having it. She asked to speak to Beca privately and Beca could remember Aubrey dragging her up to her room by the wrist. She could remember Aubrey yelling at her about...about...her thoughts were hard to connect. Aubrey was yelling about how she hadn't told Chloe and why she hadn't told Chloe. She was going off on her and Beca was pretty defensive about the whole thing.. It was a hushed tone conversation in Beca's room that quickly became yelling and then went back to whispers so the whole house didn't know about Spider-Girl.

Aubrey had asked her for the fourth time why she hadn't told Chloe the truth and Beca opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She had her reasons. _To keep Chloe safe, To keep her from the danger, To keep her from worrying, What if she hates me?_ But at that moment, it was like none of them even mattered and in the stark silence, Aubrey whispered to her, " _You love her, don't you?_ " And Beca was speechless.

She remembered feeling her sixth sense and she thinking that it was a saved by the bell moment. She remembered telling Aubrey she had to go and slipping out the window with her bag. She changed in a University bathroom around the corner and flew downtown. There was a man dressed in all green flying around on a jet glider. Getting from there to being beaten half to death by him she was blanking on. Even if she could find a way to fight back, she wasn't sure she'd last very long. If she was being honest, she felt weak. A kind of weakness she hadn't felt since she became Spider-Girl. She felt like she was _normal_ and she had no powers after all. She felt above all, that she wasn't immortal after all. What was it this guy was calling himself? The Green Goblin? What the hell did he even want anyway? It was as if she wanted to know, but had no way to remember the encounter. It felt like her mind was blocked.

Her thoughts were spastic entities trying to follow his actions and protect herself as best as she could. She couldn't comprehend her surroundings and her vision blurred against flashes of the lights nearby. When he finally let go, she fell to the ground and her head smashed on the black tar concrete. Her body flailed behind and her eyes clasped tight in pain. She couldn't react fast enough to catch herself. He was faster than her, stronger than her, his suit had to of had something to do with it. She laid still and prayed for it to be over. She told herself that she'd believe in any higher power if it meant living another day than forced her arms in front of her face.

 _Please, please let me go home._

The steel of his boot pounded into her stomach and then into her chest. Each kick came in rhythm but to a different part of her torso. Wounds appeared across her body and soaked her clothes in red. Her stomach swelled. Tears streamed off her cheekbones and onto the floor. her legs tucked into a fetal position as he continued. Her heart thudded fast against her chest and became the only noise she could hear. She could feel herself giving in to the pain and drifting off to unconsciousness. Her breath staggered in and out of her crushed lungs. Her thoughts lingered on sleeping off the nightmare.

 _I love her._

Then it stopped.

Everything was quiet.

Moments went by and she didn't move a hair on her body. She waited for him to continue on to a new position or finish her off. But it never came.

"Take the lesson. Don't be a vigilante. Don't come back out here, _Spider-Girl_." He used the name as an insult and spit next to her face. His voice was masked under the helmet he wore and Beca struggled to keep her eyes open. She tried to pay close attention to him, but her vision was coming in and out of focus as he walked. The Green Goblin walked back to his jet glider and flew off into the night sky.

Once he was out of sight, she was screaming at herself to move - but her body wouldn't budge. She wanted to go, she had to get home. She couldn't bleed out in a back alley of the city. _This wasn't happening, this wasn't happening_. She barely mustered the strength to pull her mask to the top of her head to breath. She had no strength and she could feel herself passing out. Her head fell back to the ground, staining her hair red to match the blood on the concrete. There was no way out of this and there wasn't a way in hell that she'd get home even if she had a way out. _Is this it? Please, God, don't let this be it._

She looked out to the Alleyway and begged for someone to notice her, to save her. But it was a typical city. No one looked in alley's for people and no one got involved in business that wasn't their own. It was part of the reason she became Spider-Girl in the first place. To step in and help people when no one else was willing. Then, she could see the vague embodiment of someone turning the corner. She couldn't see out to the streets with the flooding light blinding her, but she knew the voice like the back of her hand, "Oh My God, Spider-Girl?" Beca could only see the silhouette running in after her, their shoes clicking against the concrete as they ran to her side, "Oh My God, Becs? Beca!"

 _Chlo, I'm so sorry._

Beca passed out.

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 **Chapter summary: Beca gets beat up by the Green Goblin - Chloe finds her in the alleyway, kind of half dead. Beca passes out.**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Reveal

**Thanks to everyone's support in writing. I love reading everyone's thoughts and opinions! Please keep reviewing! Let me know what you think, what you think will happen, and what you want to happen!**

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 **For those of you who skipped the last chapter, Beca basically got her ass beat by the Green Goblin and Chloe found her half dead :) Enjoy!**

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Beca wasn't lucid again until late into Sunday afternoon. She awoke covered in layers of blanket and still freezing cold. Her entire body felt like it was covered in sweat and her clothes had been changed. She was wearing sweats and a sports bra. Her stomach, arms, and legs had been wrapped with gauze and bandages with blood seeping through. Her brain was covered in all types of fog and it took her a while to even open her eyes. All she could think about was the fact that she was freezing and the more she tried to hug the blankets, the colder she felt. She was dizzy and her chest felt tight. Her throat was dry. Her entire body felt like it was throbbing with pain and each time she moved pain shot through her.

"Try not to move." The voice was calming to Beca, just as it always had been. She still couldn't open her eyes but Chloe's voice was unmistakable. Beca relaxed her shoulders and tried to stay still, but her breathing was ragged and shallow. She felt like she couldn't speak. "Beca? Are you awake? Can you hear me?" She did her best to nod as an answer, "Becs, I need to change your dressing."

That's when it all came flooding back. The fight, _being Spider-Girl,_ bleeding out in the alleyway… _Chloe._ A stream of panic and shock rushed through her body and despite all of her injuries, Beca sprung into a sit-up position in the bed and opened her eyes, "Chl-Chloe!" She was in Chloe's room, in the dark, and Chloe was pulling out a new wrap from a huge first aid kit. As soon as Beca sat up, Chloe was by her side.

"Beca lay down. You're going to make it worse." Chloe's hand was warm on her shoulder and Beca couldn't help but give in to Chloe's demand. It was a demand after all. Her voice was stern and unlike Chloe's normal tone. It was strong and filled with worry and fear and if Beca could guess, anger.

"Chloe, I-" It was hard to form sentences as intense throbbing coursed through her system.

"Hush, you need to rest." Chloe soothed.

"Is she awake?" The voice was new and brought the tenseness back to her muscles. It was Aubrey. Beca heard the door close and looked over to see her blonde friend approaching the bed with folded arms. Chloe only nodded in response and went back to the first aid kit. Aubrey approached and sat next to Chloe in the other chair next to her bed, "Hey, Beca, how're you feeling?" When Beca didn't respond she continued, "I guess that's a stupid question. You gave us quite the scare." Talking was helping her calm down, but inside she was still panicking. Chloe Beale _knew_ she was Spider-Girl. Was she mad? Pissed? If it were Beca, she'd be pissed.

Chloe put her supplies on the end table next to the bed, then gazed up at Beca and their eyes met for the first time since Beca woke up - for the first time that Chloe knew _everything_ about her. Beca tried to analyze them while she had the chance. She wanted to desperately know what Chloe was thinking, but Chloe hardly gave her the opportunity. The redhead blinked and looked down at the floor, "I'm going to change your dressings." Beca only nodded in response and Chloe pulled the blanket down. The air was even colder than before and she shivered. Goosebumps covered her skin as Chloe took off the bandage on her stomach and Beca pushed herself up on her elbows to watch. It hurt to sit up, but she wanted to know what was going on. Her stomach was covered in bruises and beneath the bandages was a gash right above her ribs, "You shouldn't sit like that. You broke two ribs the other night."

Beca nearly choked on the words, "The other night?" Had she really been asleep for almost two days? This time, her voice came out stronger.

"It's Sunday, Beca." Aubrey confirmed, "It's been two days." Beca sneered as Chloe began to clean up the gash. She always hated doctors. She looked away and noticed her suit, like an elephant in the room, was covered with holes and folded up on Chloe's desk across the room.

" _Fuck."_

Aubrey handed Chloe the new bandages as she finished up cleaning, "The Bellas think you're really sick. It's not exactly a lie, but it explains your absence this weekend." Beca watched Chloe's eyes at Aubrey continued. The way she didn't look up or recognize the conversation told Beca that she really was mad, "Jesse came to see you," Chloe winced at his name and Beca felt an extra pain shoot through her stomach, "and Amy checked in from time to time. We didn't want to look like we were all _hiding_ something so they didn't stay." Beca nodded. At very least, Spider-Girl hadn't been completely destroyed in one night. Chloe finished with her stomach and gave her back the blanket. The redhead moved on to checking her arm bandages. Beca winced again at the change of pace and Aubrey took notice, "I'm gonna go find a pain killer."

She left and Beca watched the door close. Once it shut, she looked back at Chloe and noticed the paleness of her own arm. The nightmare of Friday night danced across her thoughts and made her soreness all the more apparent.

"Chloe, I-" Her voice was raspy and she tried to clear her throat.

"Don't."

She had imagined this scenario over and over again and not a single one of those times did she imagine it would happen like this. Chloe let out a frustrated sigh as she rebandaged one of the wounds on her arm, "I found you in a fucking alley, Beca." Beca didn't often hear Chloe cuss or use her full name and the sound of rolling off Chloe's tongue made Beca's stomach churn, "I had to find out that you were _Spider-Girl_ when you were laying in a pool of fucking blood." She was spitting out the words and her eyes were wide. Beca flinched as Chloe cleaned a wound on her shoulder, "And you're so fucking lucky I didn't take you to the hospital because I didn't want my best friend arrested for vigilantism. And you're even luckier that one of your fucking _abilities_ is healing, otherwise, you'd be in a lot more pain. So I dragged you back here wh-where" She laughed almost hysterically, "Where I find out that this isn't just some Beca Mitchell secret that she kept because she can't open up to _anyone,_ nope, it's not. Because _Aubrey_ knows and _Amy_ knows and fucking _Jesse_ knows. This is just once again another secret that Beca chose to keep from ME and only me." Chloe threw off her medical gloves. Her voice was all of a sudden quieter when she said, "I thought we were best friends. What the hell happened to _us_ this year?"

"Chlo, I was going to tell you, I just-"

"Don't give me that, Beca," She shook her head, "I don't want to hear it." Chloe put her face in her hands. Beca sat up and slung her feet off the edge of the bed, the pain apparent in her face, "Beca you need to lay down,"

"I'm fine," Beca tried to assure her, but with no avail.

More silence passed between them and Beca could see the way Chloe's emotions had been building since Friday night. This was an explosion that had been waiting for Beca to wake up and she knew she deserved it. When Chloe backed away, she looked into Beca's eyes and Beca searched them for what Chloe was trying to say. "I, uh," Chloe started to cry and tried to pretend she wasn't, "I'm going to go." Before Beca could register the words, Chloe was up and headed to the door.

"Chlo, wait." Beca hardly thought about what she was doing when she stood on her feet and slung a web across the room to help pull her closer to Chloe. At the sight of the web on the wall in front of her, Chloe stopped and turned to Beca, who was now standing inches away from her.

Chloe stared at the web, "I kissed you," she whispered as she had just realized that when she kissed _Spider-Girl,_ she kissed Beca. In fact, it sounded more like a confirmation to herself rather than saying it to Beca, "I _kissed_ you." She repeated, "and you lied straight to my face for _months_ Becs." Her shoulders slouched.

Tears began to stream down Chloe's face and for the first time Beca noticed that Chloe's face had already been puffy and red from crying, Beca took a step toward her best friend but found herself wobbling instead. "Beca-"

"It's okay," Beca said, but the cut on her stomach was already bleeding again.

"No, it's not," Chloe said, watching the blood seep through. Beca reached a hand out to comfort her, but Chloe flinched away. She wiped the tears away and swallowed. A moment of thick silence passed between them before Chloe's stern voice came back, "If you don't lay down and just... let me take care of you then I will take you to the hospital and have you admitted." The threat in her voice was obvious and Beca knew she was serious. Chloe wrapped an arm around Beca's waist and Beca placed a hand on Chloe's neck. Slow and steady, Chloe walked her back to the bed and Beca tried not to wince as they walked, "Are you okay?"

Beca sighed and stopped walking, "Chloe, I'm so sorry."

Chloe paid attention to every detail of Beca's face for signs of pain and a true apology, then said, "We can talk about it later," She sighed, "Right now, you need to focus on getting better. Can we do that?" Beca hesitated, but in the end, gave in. She let Chloe lead her back to the bed and laid down, "Can you stay in bed now?" She asked and Beca stared at her, "Please, for me?"

Beca swallowed, her eyes watching Chloe's. It seemed at all of the anger she had before, faded at the thought of Beca being in pain. Chloe took Beca's silence as confirmation, knowing that Beca would never vocalize a plea for help. The redhead slowly picked up the blankets and wrapped Beca back up. Chloe mouthed a _Thank you_ as Aubrey walked back in with a loud sounding bottle that could only be the pain killers she had promised. Chloe grabbed a drink of water from the end table and Beca took the pills from Aubrey. The brunette downed a few pills with the whole cup of water, finally quenching the thirst she had woken up with. And with each movement she made, she knew she was in for a long road of recovery.


	11. Chapter 11 - Breaking the Bubble

**Wow. Hi. Firstly, I recognize that It's been ALMOST two months since my last update and I am so sorry! Life has just gotten, so busy. I updated right before I went on vacation to San Fransisco and then I got back and I was working two jobs and I had finals and then I got a concussion. So it's been rough! But! Secondly! THANK YOU SO MUCH. It's been almost two months and I have still gotten reviews and kudos almost every day from this fic. Thank you so much for keeping up with this! Without all of those Kudos and Reviews I may not have gotten back this soon! I will most definitely be getting back to regular postings because I am far from done with this fic! So much coming for you!**

 **This is a short chapter, but a good one and I have big plans for the next one! See you soon!**

 **Thanks to everyone's support in writing and please keep reviewing! Let me know what you think, what you think will happen, and what you want to happen! Follow me on Tumblr ezrajclarke**

 **Please Review!**

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"Beca, three days ago your ribs were broken." Chloe's voice was strained and as low as a growl. It wasn't a lie. It had taken three more days after Sunday for Beca's injuries to heal, totaling her recovery at five days since she had faced the Green Goblin. And it was a long five days at that. The pain was intense and the first day Beca was awake had cold sweats and threw up twice in Chloe's trash can, which kind of helped the story of Beca being sick. It also made it hard for Chloe to stay angry at the brunette. After the first day, Chloe had decided that Beca's injuries were punishment enough and that she had plenty of Time to be angry later. For the rest of the week, Chloe decided she had to take care of Beca and give her anything she needed.

Since then, Chloe had not let Beca set a foot outside of the redhead's room unless she absolutely had to. Instead, Beca stayed in bed and they binged Chloe's favorite shows and talked about anything other than Spider-Girl. It was quite the mixture of emotions and Beca was trying her best to make Chloe happy. To make her feel better about the lying and to show the redhead that she knew Beca better than anyone else in their lives did. And in return, Chloe took care of her and watched as Beca's injuries healed faster than anything she had ever seen. Chloe had been nervous to accept Beca's apology, but the brunette was both her best friend and her weakness. As hurt as she was, she couldn't be mad at Beca for long.

But then the day had finally came when the bubble had to pop. It was early evening on Wednesday afternoon when Beca could no longer ignore the suit folded up on Chloe's desk. It was her sixth sense and it was bothering her more than it usually did. She had goosebumps covering her arms and legs. There was a prickle against her skin. The hair on her arms and legs were standing straight up. The impossible feeling of guilt filled her stomach. Her throat was so dry she couldn't swallow. Her head was pounding with the overwhelming senses. Everything told her something was wrong and it repeated itself over and over again until she couldn't ignore it. She had to be Spider-Girl. So she said it, in the smallest voice she could. She told Chloe she had to go and that was Chloe's response. It was just a simple statement, "Beca, three days ago your ribs were broken."

They were standing in the dark of Chloe's room, her purple shades blocking out the setting sun. Beca was standing with her hand grazing the spider-suit, which had not been fixed since the night of the fight. The holes were a stark reminder to Chloe that Beca had been in trouble and though Beca had no scars from it, Chloe couldn't help but associate the two. Spider-Girl and Beca in danger. The two would always coincide. There were holes covering every other inch of the suit, hardly enough to hide Beca's identity at all. Chloe's eyes were on Beca's though, wide and cerulean like the afternoon sky. The stare was her way of asking _\- pleading -_ for Beca to stay. But Chloe didn't know what the feeling was like, to know someone was in danger and willingly ignore it. It was impossible. Beca's sixth sense was her call to arms and she couldn't help herself. Spider-Girl was needed and she had to go. No matter how hard it was to look into Chloe's eyes and say that.

"Chlo, I can't stay." The words came off her lips in a disjointed way. It sounded like she was about to cry and if Beca had anything to say about it, she sounded dumb. As soon as she said it her heart rate sped. In Chloe's eyes she could see the worry, the fear. The redhead's hands were practically shaking at the thought of Beca leaving and all of a sudden Spider-Girl didn't feel like a badass superhero who saved the day. The superhero was no longer an inspiration to follow around in the city, to watch fight. Spider-Girl was a vulnerability to Chloe. A fear that Beca wouldn't come back if she left right now. That every time Beca would leave, this feeling would overcome Chloe to the point of strong panic. It was overwhelming enough to make Chloe's lip quiver at the thought and sight of the suit. Beca hardly knew what words to use and the sixth sense was covering her skin. All she wanted to do was run out the door, "I'm sorry." Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but when no words came out of her mouth, Beca went for the door, suit in hand.

"Beca!" The letters looped together in a whisper, but Beca would've heard them from eight miles away and through steel doors. Chloe's voice was the only voice that could stop Beca in her tracks if she going a hundred miles an hour. The brunette turned, her eyes pleading for Chloe to let her leave because if Chloe asked - _actually asked_ \- then she would stay. But Chloe knew better. She knew that if Beca didn't go than people would get hurt and Chloe couldn't willingly let anyone get hurt. In some nerve-wracking, fear-inducing way, Chloe could understand why Beca had to go and Beca couldn't be more thankful, "I-" Beca could fill in the blanks with plenty of other sentences. _I know you don't have a choice. I want you to be safe. I love you._ Though the last guess was something Beca could only hope for after everything she put the redhead through. Chloe cleared her throat and seemed to change gears, "Be safe."

Beca nodded her head in the slightest and bolted to the door, her legs carrying her faster than her body could keep up. She was practically stumbling by the time she got to the front door. The adrenaline kicked in and her senses heightened. She could hear for miles away and her sight was focused on her task ahead. She could feel her blood pumping faster through her entire body. But there was something more. She was focused and secure in heading toward the danger ahead, but she could feel something else. She had hardly gotten down the driveway when stopped to try to process the feeling. It was strong and different than anything else she had ever felt.

It was Chloe.

It was the feeling she had started to feel when Chloe was getting herself in danger, but it was stronger. It was a sense of Chloe's fear, strong and coursing through her veins. Beca could almost hear Chloe's heartbeat, fast and consistent. It was separate than any other one person danger and stronger than all of her Spider Senses. Chloe had just as much fear as whoever Spider-Girl was going to save. It made her feel torn between where she was going and where she had come from. And before she realized what she was doing, her legs were carrying her back inside to the dimly lit room on the first floor.

Chloe eyes puzzled when Beca walked through the door. Her eyebrow shot up in question of Beca's return. And as Beca stood at the door, she was just as confused and more nervous than being Spider-Girl ever made her. Her heart was ripping through her chest. Her throat was closing up on her. She couldn't think or speak, only move with intent. So she did. She took each step with confidence and stride until she was inches away from her best friend. And without hesitation, Beca put a hand around Chloe's neck and kissed her. Hard.

Chloe seemed caught off guard by the sudden attempt, but soon gave in when she felt Beca's lips pressed against her own. She almost immediately opened her mouth and Beca took the opportunity gratefully. The kiss lingered, soft and sweetly. Chloe's lips tasted like blueberries and Vanilla mixed together. They were soft and smooth and desperate to keep Beca there. Chloe wrapped an arm around Beca's waist and Beca took another step closer, if it was even possible to be closer.

Then, she broke the kiss.

And as soon as it was broken, Beca pressed their foreheads together and put her hands around Chloe's neck, "I'm so sorry," the brunette whispered, out of breath and near tears, "I am so so sorry Chlo." Chloe would never know a truer, sadder phrase from Beca's lips than in that moment. Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but when no words came out, Beca kissed her again, "I'll be back."

And Spider-Girl was gone.


	12. Chapter 12 - She Left

**I figured you guys deserved back to back updates for being so patient.**

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"She left. I mean, could you believe that?" Chloe was staring down a cosmopolitan martini, her fourth one on an empty stomach, and stirring it with her straw. The barkeep was the only other one in the bar as it was nearly last call on a Wednesday. She had thought about getting up after her third, but the way the room was spinning didn't feel quite right. She was talking to the barkeep, but he seemed to have left in the middle of her sentence to clean a glass on the opposite side of the bar, "She kissed me." She said as if saying out loud would confirm it happened. She touched her lips as she said it as if the kiss itself was still lingering there, "She kissed me, then she left." Somewhere deep in the back of Chloe's mind, she knew Beca had good reason. She knew that Spider-Girl was important, but after being in love with Beca since freshman year - she couldn't help herself. She and Beca Mitchell has kissed twice now and she had no idea what it meant. Did Beca like her too? Did it mean the same thing to her as it did to Chloe? She started to giggle in her drunken state. She leaned on the edge of the bar and nearly fell off her barstool in the process, "I mean, who does that?"

In the meantime, Beca was wondering about the Bella house, which was weirdly empty for a Wednesday night. She was looking for Chloe. She had been gone a few hours longer than she had intended to be and when she got home Chloe was no longer in her room anymore. And for all the hours she was gone, she hadn't stopped thinking about their kiss. Did Chloe kiss her back? Did Chloe want that? She was absolutely shocked that Beca had kissed her in the first place, so Beca was nervous that she took the moment the wrong way. What if Chloe didn't like her? What if she took the kiss the wrong way?

She kept checking from room to room and worked through the hollowness growing in her chest. And as she continued, She was working through the way her throat felt dry, the way her lips were numb. She was working through the horrible feeling traveling it's way from her gut to her lungs. She was trying to ignore the way it felt to be rejected, again, and she was desperately trying to convince herself that she just had to find Chloe. If she found Chloe then she would know for sure. But all she could think about was what if Chloe didn't like her. What if, instead, she was ruining everything she had built with the Bellas? What if Chloe didn't like her and that made everything more awkward? What if it would ruin their family? She couldn't imagine her life without the Bellas and what if she had messed it up all over again by kissing Chloe? What if Chloe had only kissed Spider-Girl because Spider-Girl had saved her. What if their first kiss meant nothing to Chloe? Beca stopped at the staircase to sit down. The thoughts bubbling up to the surface were giving her a headache and she needed the moment to take a deep breath.

"Beca? What's wrong?" It was Amy. She was standing at the doorway and Beca had missed her come in.

Beca shook her head, tears that she had held back were now threatening the edges of her eyes, "I made a mistake," The words hardly came out in a sound.  
Amy shook her head and stared at her, or possibly through her, "Beca, what are you talking about?"

Beca put her head between her knees. As she did some of her hair fell into her eyes. Tears dripped down her face and branded her skin red as they fell, "I-I kissed her." Beca said, "And I know I made a mistake and she doesn't feel -"

"Who? Chloe?" Amy folded his arms. She was torn. She had no right to intervene and tell Beca that everyone knew Chloe liked her, but there was no way she was letting Beca give it up, "Have you talked to her?"

"I, well, not really. I just know that she doesn't, Ames. It's been so many years that I've been in love-" she stopped short realized she had already said too much. It was one thing for a quick kiss and another to be in love, "I love her." She finally said out loud.

Amy leaned on the banister and stared at her best friend at the top of the stairs, "Beca, you need to talk to her before you assume the worst, right?." She couldn't say anymore, knowing full well it would be wrong of her to tell Beca of Chloe's feelings. The Bellas had agreed on that a long time ago. That they should only intervene if they absolutely had to. That Beca and Chloe had to realize their feelings for each other on their own and let it happen naturally. It was theirs to work out on their own and as much hassle as it was over the years, Amy had to let it play out because it wasn't her right, "Don't you dare act like you can walk away from all of this. You have no idea how she feels. You're just scared."

Beca wrinkled her nose at that. Nothing had ever really given her fear like this had. She wasn't afraid of anything, she was Beca Effin Mitchell. Beca was strong from day one and to say the least her skin was thick. She had moments of fear and anxiety and she had terrible moments, but she had never stopped being herself. That is, until now. Amy was right. She was afraid of being honest with Chloe and she had been hiding it for years. Afraid of being rejected by the one person who accepted her for who she was since she joined the Bellas. She had to show Chloe how much she loved her and that meant accepting everything that Chloe was. "Do you know where she went?" The burnette finally asked.

Amy shook her head, "If I were you, I would go find her."

In the meantime, Chloe was a few blocks over, drinking until her lips were numb and hardly able to stand. She couldn't think. That was for sure. Which made it that much easier to deal with Beca walking out on her. Though, while Beca had been talking to Amy, Chloe received a visitor of her own.

"Chloe?" Chloe did a 180 in her barstool, making it wobble until it was stable again. It was Stacie, standing at the doorway, her face lost in confusion, "What're you doing down here?"

Chloe slurred her words when she replied, "I, could assssk youuu the same questionnnee, Msss. Conrad?" She giggled and hiccuped at the same time.

Stacie shook her head at Chloe, a small smile on her lips. "Are you alright? Is Beca feeling any better? I thought you were taking care of her."

"I'm fine! Beca's fine, Everything is fine, fine, fine." She said it in a singsong fashion, Chloe was passed plastered and Stacie could tell. Stacie signaled for the barkeep to cut off Chloe, if he hadn't aleady.

Stacie sipped at her own drink, "Did something happen?" She asked.

Chloe shrugged and cleared her throat. Her emotions were raw and tipsy and she was vulnerable, "She kissed me." She stated and put up her drink like she was doing a toast, "She kissed me and then she left."

Stacie raised an eyebrow at her and she couldn't help her jaw-dropping. She had been hoping for this for years. Her and Aubrey had bets going on how long the two would hold out. They were two peas in a pod and as they say opposites attract. They always seemed to be two puzzle pieces that fit together. They were compliments. She had suspicions since freshman year. All the Bellas wanted as for both girls to be happy, "Well, why did she do that?"

Chloe looked at him with a side eye and then pondered the question herself, "I don't know." She lied, knowing full well that Stacie was out of the Spider-girl loop. She wondered if she would be telling these lies to everyone. She hated the idea of lying to all of her friends, but Beca was right. The fewer people that knew the secret the better.  
"Well, did you go find her?" Stacie asked as if it were just plain and simple like that.

Chloe eyed the brunette, her blue eyes nearly disappearing beneath her eyelids as she squinted. Her eyebrows were dented inward and she licked her lips, "No." She clicked her tongue, "Usually when someone runs away - especially her - they don't want to be found."

"Or, they want to be chased." Stacie tried her, using her raised eyebrow to pretend she knew secrets that she didn't. Stacie finished off her drink and slammed the glass on the bar, "Nine times out of ten, they want to be chased. I suggest, that you sober up and do some chasing." She clicked her heels all proud of herself and just as quickly dashed out the door. Chloe rolled her eyes as she watched the girl go. Just before Stacie walked out the door, she yelled back, "That is, if you really love her!"

 _I never said that I lov-_ Chloe was too drunk to fight Stacie on it. It was a useless thought.

Once Stacie was out of sight, Chloe slowly lifted herself off the stool and grabbed her coat. She put down a few extra bucks for the barkeep who had listened to her drag on, then she turned on her heels to walk out the door. Only she didn't. She froze. Because standing, or rather resting her hands on her knees and out of breath, in the doorway, was Beca Mitchell. She was desperately trying to catch her breath and Chloe could only assume that she had been running around the city in circles to find Chloe. "Chloe, I-" The words caught in Beca's throat and Chloe folded her arms in an irritated manner, waiting for her best friend to continue, "Chloe, Listen to me, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't of kissed yo-" she started, but Chloe was fed up with listening already.

In her half drunken state, Chloe half stumbled, half ran at Beca. She tried to stand up taller then Beca even though it was never going to happen as she said, "No. You listen to me, Beca Mitchell." She only used Beca's full name when she felt that Beca didn't deserve the nickname, "I don't know where you got your manners from, but where I'm from you do not just kiss someone," She lost her breath as tears were welling up in her eyes. She tried to choke them back when she continued, "You don't just kiss someone." Her words broke on the word kiss and the word someone only came out as a whisper, "You don't just," She was sobbing, "Kiss someone and walk away like that!" Chloe said, "It's just not right, it's not. When you kiss me, you better kiss me like you mean it, Beca."

And instead of waiting for Beca to respond, Chloe leaped toward her, her hands against Beca's shoulders, and Chloe kissed her, hard. Beca was more then surprised and fell. Her back hit the wall of the bar, her arms gripping Chloe's waist almost instinctively. Once, twice, Chloe couldn't get enough. Beca's arms were suddenly softly moving up and down Chloe's arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind.

Suddenly, Beca was kissing Chloe harder with a fervent, urgent need. She swept her tongue over Chloe's bottom lip and Chloe couldn't think or do anything other than _give_ _in_. The Ginger moaned to give her access. This time the kiss is messier and more in need of one another. This time the kiss is soft and gentle but full of every feeling Chloe has no idea how to say out loud. So she put everything she had into it. She tried desperately m to say I'm in love with you in the way her lips move against Beca's. Chloe never wants this to stop. As She's running her hands through Beca's hair and Beca is pulling her hips closer despite the two already being flush.

In Chloe's drunken state she was hardly sure that anything is real so every few seconds she grips longer and tighter. She had to make sure this wasn't a dream. And as Beca's tongue slips inside of her mouth, she isn't even ashamed at the way she moans. They're tongues mesh and Beca moans too. When Beca finally breaks the kiss and they're both breathless and panting. When they break the kiss, Chloe feels like she can't breathe. "Chloe-" Beca whispers, their foreheads pressed against one another.

"Becs, I'm a little Tipsy." She mumbles, leaning all of her weight into her best friend.

"I can tell." Beca smiled, running a hand through her hair and rubbing her back.

"Can you take me to bed? I promise we can talk in the morning.." Chloe was still slurring her words partially, but the kiss had more than sobered her up.

"Of course." That being said, Beca picked up Chloe and carried her off to her room.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Talk

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When Chloe woke up the next morning, her head was absolutely pounding. Every creak the house made had her flinch. She couldn't remember the last time she had _this_ bad of a hangover. Her eyes were a bit bloodshot and her hair was an absolute mess. She was still wearing clothes from the night before and she could taste the lipstick still stuck to her lips. Her throat was dry and she could feel the dehydration setting in. She was sore all over her body and she couldn't remember how many drinks she had the night before. She was never the girl to be completely wasted. She was more like the Bella mom. She wasn't very comfortable getting drunk, especially with the other girls around who _could_ ultimately need her by the end of the night. Besides, She hated the idea of being completely vulnerable around _anyone_. She was always afraid of saying something she would regret or waking up the next day with someone she didn't couldn't recognize. She had never felt that compelled to drink so much, after all. That is until Beca had left her last night to go who knows where and to get into what kind of trouble, not to mention after they k-

Then she remembered the events of the night before as they came back to her in sequence. Beca kissing her, Beca running away, Beca coming to find her, and her kissing Beca. Her heart began to race just thinking about the whole thing. Then, she realized as she began to move, that there was an arm was thrown around her waist and tightly secured beneath her. There was a light snore beside her ear and Chloe could feel the heat of their breath on the back of her neck. All of a sudden, Chloe had goosebumps. Her stomach was doing flips. The person, snuggling her on this late Thursday morning was Beca Mitchell. Her fellow Bella. Her co-captain. Her best friend. _Spider-Girl._ And Beca had kissed her! Really kissed her! It was all Chloe had been hoping for since they had met.

"Good Morning," Beca whispered, as Chloe's stirring woke her up too. Chloe nearly leaped into the air when she heard Beca's half asleep voice, husking in her ear. Chloe was living in a reality she had never thought possible.

Chloe giggled, bit her lip, and tried to take a steady breath in, "Good Morning, Becs."

Slowly Chloe turned around and saw Beca for the first time since everything that happened. She saw Beca's beautiful, perfect skin and that breathtaking smile. She saw the way Beca's eyes were gleaming back at her. Beca's hand never left her waist. She was secured to Beca and Chloe had never felt safer in her entire life. She couldn't stop smiling. No matter how absolutely awful she felt and probably looked, Chloe couldn't keep the smile off her lips. "Are you alright? You were pretty drunk last night." Beca said, a smirk playing on the corners of her mouth. Chloe felt a blush cover her face from one side to the other.

"A minor hangover," Chloe said, squinting in the morning light.

"I can get you something for that," Beca replied and made an attempt to get up, but Chloe didn't allow it. She held on tight to Beca's shoulders and Beca took the hint.

Chloe bit her lip, "Not yet." She whispered.

Beca was than all of a sudden quiet, looking over the way Chloe's arms were on her neck and her eyes were pleading with her to stay. The moment was all of a sudden tense with everything that had happened. It was like the weeks of the spring semester were passing in front of Beca's eyes. Being Spider-girl, saving Chloe, _Kissing Chloe as Spider-Girl,_ Chloe finding out, _Beca kissing Chloe,_ and Chloe _kissing Beca._ In Chloe's eyes, Beca could see everything she'd ever wanted. A paradise beyond everything she was working toward. And the moment felt like it could go on forever unless Beca stopped it. So, after licking her lips and clearing her throat, she finally spoke, "You kissed me, last night."

Chloe giggled and shook her head, "If I'm not mistaken Beca Mitchell, you kissed me first." Beca was almost always caught off guard at how Chloe was so quick to respond. It was as if Chloe could read her mind before the words formulated in Beca's head at all.

Beca smiled, but this smile was one with nerves hidden behind it. Nerves that had been building since one fateful night in a back alley of Atlanta. Nerves that had been building since Chloe insisted on thanking _Spider-Girl_ with a kiss. Or maybe before that. Beca couldn't figure out if she had always had these feelings for Chloe Beale, but more than ever now she knew they were more real than any other crush she had her entire life. And those same nerves covered her skin in goosebumps, "I'm not good at this sort of thing." She said, scratching at the inside of her wrists.

And Chloe laughed. Chloe laughed because nothing else in the entire world would be more Beca. Chloe knew that. From the bottom of her heart, Chloe knew Beca better than anyone in the entire world. Beca wasn't just bad at this 'sort of thing,' she was terrible at it. Beca didn't talk about her feelings, to anyone. Which is probably why in four years of friendship and three repetitive senior years, Chloe never knew how Beca felt about her - or if she felt at all. In some way, Chloe wasn't sure if Beca would know what feelings were if they slapped her in the back of the head. That is, if she had feelings for her. Chloe wasn't quite good at this kind of thing either. She had always been good at flirting and being flirty with anyone and everyone. She was close to everyone and she had no personal space bubble. But… this was different. Instead of telling Beca that she had been in love with her since her freshman year, Chloe couldn't keep herself together and said something about experimenting in college. Not one of her best lines, that's for sure. No matter how confident Chloe Beale was, Beca had always made her knees buckle.

"Would it be okay if I did it again sometime?" When Beca spoke, it reminded Chloe that she hadn't responded to the brunette holding her this whole time, "Kiss you…I mean."

Chloe smiled and pushed her nose against Becas, "As many times as you would like…" Chloe mumbled, her lips ghosting over the brunettes. But just as their lips got close, Chloe pulled away from Beca and looked into her eyes with a strict, afraid stare, "That is, with a few conditions..." Beca took a sharp breath in at the way Chloe was staring at her. She could only manage a nod for Chloe to continue, "You will _never_ lie to me again."

Beca cleared her throat and her still parted lips stayed where they were. She gulped, "I'm so sorry, Chlo, I never meant-"

"I know." Chloe's nearly closed her eyes when she looked down and the flicker in her cerulean eyes was enough to make Beca's stomach churn, "It's okay. I forgive you… But never again."

There was a brief silence between them until Beca nodded in confirmation, "Never again."

Chloe continued, "And we have to talk about Spider-Girl." Beca nodded again, "Later."

Chloe rolled her eyes at another long pause and then smiled, "So.. was that your way of asking to be my girlfriend?" Chloe couldn't help but smile with all of her teeth just by saying it out loud, "Or did you actually just want to be able to kiss me whenever you wanted… _Spider-Girl?_ "

Beca laughed and shook her head at the name given her by the people of Atlanta. The blush that covered her face though was a dead give away of how overly eager she was, "Would you by my girlfriend… or whatever?"

"Or Whatever?" Chloe mocked her and laughed. Leave it to her to never be able to ask without tagging something else on at the end. But as soon as Chloe spoke, their eyes met and Chloe could see the fear clouding Beca's eyes. The fear was what made her speak out. So, Chloe answered first with a kiss on Beca's lips, soft and barely touching, but long enough to take Beca's breath away. And They stayed like that like it was forever fleeting away from them, until Chloe finally pulled away, "I would love to, Beca."

"Chloe?" A knock came to the door. Stacie could be heard from the other side of it.

"Come in," Chloe called a small smile on her lips at Beca's near embarrassment of being in bed together. Stacie walked in and smiled at the sight he saw between them, "Yes?" Chloe smiled. Beca only took a bit of embarrassment over it as she drifted beneath the covers.

"I uh" Stacie smirked and lost her train of thought when she saw them both, "I was wondering if you wanted to help me pack. My suitcase is already too heavy and I just don't know what you're bringing. I mean if you're bringing your hair dryer than maybe-"

Chloe only nodded, "I'll just be a minute." She said, cutting Stacie off before she could get in too long of a ramble. Stacie said a quick thanks before she left them alone, allowing the two to enjoy the rest of their fleeting moment.

Chloe got up out of bed, despite her entire body begging her not to and found a pair of sweats to change into in her closet. As she watched, Beca couldn't help but take in how absolutely gorgeous Chloe was. The way her hair curled at its edges in the mornings when she first woke up. The way her eyes twinkled in the morning light. The way her smile was bright as ever between her dimples. Beca was completely and head over heels in love with this girl and she knew from this moment on she would spend the rest of her life showing it. "We can finish this talk later today if that's alright?" Chloe asked and Beca wondered if this was Chloe giving her the chance to get the balls to ask the ginger out on a date. Was this even real?

Beca shook her head as she got up out of bed, "How about over dinner? There's a beautiful riverside restaurant on the east side of town-"

"The Riverside Green," Chloe finished the sentence, "Absolutely, yes, yes. Tonight?"

"Tonight." Beca agreed and Chloe pecked her on the cheek before heading for the door, "Do you have to go?" She wined.

Chloe bit her lip and looked back at her from the door, "I do… But I hope we'll have plenty more mornings like this to come," Chloe winked when she saw the blush forming across Beca's face and just like that the ginger was gone.


	14. Chapter 14 - First Date

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Beca was pacing the floor of Jesse's practically empty apartment at only eight in the morning. She had snuck out of the Bellas house before Saturday breakfast for this. When she got there, Jesse had been reading through scripts and because she hadn't said anything, he hadn't stopped, "This was a mistake." She finally said. At this point she was already ten minutes late to breakfast and she was waiting for the phone to buzz. But all at the same time. Beca was about ready to pull her own hair out. The tile floor beneath her might as well have been a rut from how hard her heels cut into it. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Her chest was tight and her throat was dry. "It's fucking stupid for me to think that I could have a relationship and be Spider-Girl. If anyone knew who I was…"

"It's not stupid." Jesse interrupted and Beca finally stopped pacing. She walked over to the desk Jesse studied at in the corner of the room. He often took notes and went through the scripts there. He had been working on one the night Beca told him she was Spider-Girl, "You can't expect yourself not to have a life just because you're…"

"Don't give me that. Tell me the truth. Tell me that if anyone knew who I was they would hurt her. Tell me that this is a terrible idea." The words were coming out of her mouth before she could think them through.

Jesse shook his head as he watched her once again pace. He leaned back in his rotating chair and let out a long breath, "Did you want my opinion or did you just come to hear what you want me to say?"  
"Jesse." Beca groaned, frustration coming out in her words. "I want your opinion. I just, don't know what to do." Jesse has never seen Beca talk so much with her hands.

Jesse bit his lip, "You really like her," he mumbled, almost so low she didn't hear. Beca whipped toward him, which threw her hair behind her shoulder. But she was silent, "Don't confuse that with Spider-Girl."  
Beca bit her lip and furrowed a brow. Spider-Girl was all she had been thinking about on her way over to his apartment. The fact that she had been beaten by another masked man and had small scars to prove it made it all worse. She could be beaten. It only furthered her reasoning as to why she didn't want anyone to know about her being Spider-Girl in the first place. That was the point wasn't it? To have a _secret_ identity? That's the reason why she didn't want _Chloe_ to know. She could get hurt. It was that simple. And it was a catch twenty two. If Chloe hadn't found out, Beca would've never been able to date someone based on a lie. And now that Chloe did know, Beca feared what someone would do to Chloe to know who Spider-Girl really was. In the few years she had been Spider-Girl, Beca had made plenty of enemies.

"I don't know what you mean." Jesse couldn't tell for sure if Beca was lying or truly in the dark. By now they had started their walk to Jesse's front door for Beca to make an attempt at breakfast with the girls. Beca's stomach was churning from having to see Chloe again. She wondered if Chloe would have changed her mind about the whole thing by now and wondered how she would feel if Chloe did.

"You know," Jesse stated confidentially.

"What?" Becas Furrowed her brow.  
"You know that you're using Spider-Girl as an excuse not to go out with Chloe." Jesse remarked, a smirk proudly displaying itself across his face, "You love her. I know. You know. Half the world might know before you get up the balls to take her out. How about your stop giving me the bullshit about Spider-Girl, hmm?"  
"I hate you." Beca shot back as they turned the corner to his front door and it was time to say goodbye.

"I'll take that as a thank you." Jesse claimed proudly as Beca picked up her jacket from his coat hanger and wrapped the black long coat around her chest. And with that Beca left Jesse's and took the forest behind his house to get back to the Bella house - swinging across the trees along the way.

The group had already started eating and today there were pancakes, Bacon, sausage, and french toast set across the long dining room table. Beca took a deep breath and bit her lip at the sight before her when she walked in the front door. The girls she had spent all of four years getting to know were working as a team with coordination they never had freshman year. They were aware of each other, working hard to make sure that they weren't in one another's space, and respecting the boundaries of someones working space. And all at the same time they were a family. Her family. In essence, Beca had everything that she could've ever hoped for wrapped in a tight little bow. The Bellas, an internship for her dream job, Spider-Girl, her _dream girl._ It was overwhelming to Beca because she had a hard time being happy with that. It was easier to tiptoe on it because it was like glass. Beca believed that it was more likely that she fucked it all up. It was easier to believe that.

"Hey there," Beca only realized she was spacing out when Chloe approached her from the kitchen, meeting her at the staircase. In the process of Chloe walking up to her, Beca took a minute to take in the view. Beca always believed that Chloe was beautiful like this. Her ginger hair tied up in a bun and a few strands falling along her jawline. She was a wearing a blue flannel pajama despite it nearly being summer, "I came up to your room to wake you and you were gone. Where you been Becs?"

Beca gave Chloe a brief smile and raised her eyebrows as Chloe made her way into Beca's personal bubble, "Jesse's. He just wanted to talk before his nine am class. He's settling plans to move to Los Angeles you know?" Beca tried to direct the conversation to avoid the reason she went over to Jesse's in the first place. The closer Chloe got to her, the more butterflies filled her stomach, "I'm sorry."

Chloe looked down for a moment at the news of her being at Jesse's. For just a second, Beca thought it was jealousy that filled Chloe's eyes, but Chloe looked at the floor before Beca could know for sure, "It's okay. I just wanted to see you." Chloe linked her fingers into Beca's for just a second before the Bellas were calling after them.  
"Quit flirting so we can eat!" The australian accent coming from the kitchen was unmistakable. Chloe couldn't help but giggle as Beca's face flushed red.

"Did you tell th-" Beca's voice was in a hushed tone, but she was cut off by another voice from around the corner.

"Yeah, Come on mom, dad! Let's eat!" It was Stacie conrad this time and Beca furrowed a brow as the girls filed into the dining room.

"Wait, what? Why are we mom and dad? And which one of us is Dad?" Beca's voice reached a higher pitch than she would've liked it to and Chloe bit her lip.

"I think we all know who dad is," Jessica added quietly and the rest of the girls burst into laughter, including Chloe.

"What?" Beca asked as they took their seats, "Me? Are you saying I'm dad? Why am I dad?"

The girls only laughed harder as Chloe said, "Let it go babe," and kissed her on the cheek. "Come on, let's eat." So they did.  
Unfortunately, the rest of the day wasn't spent like that at all. After breakfast, the girls had practice and after practice they split up into their own daily schedules. Emily and Beca spent the day in the studio working on Emily's song, while Beca also spent the day thinking about her date. And Chloe. And Spider-Girl. And everything her and Jesse talked about in the morning. The more she thought about it, the slower the day went. Every few minutes Beca checked the clock and it was like time was at a standstill. Until finally, the time came to finish the session and for Beca to get dressed and meet Chloe for dinner. Luckily for her, being Spider-Girl had its downfalls, but it also had its perks. She swung back to the house, which gave herself time to shower and get into the black, short cut dress for the night.

The closer Beca got to the riverfront though, the more her heart began to pound. Her hands were sweating and she couldn't stop biting her lip. She was more nervous than she had been for anything in her life. Once she had gotten to the restaurant, she stayed outside and leaned on the grey railing overlooking the river in an attempt to calm her nerves. At night with the moon casting down on it was beautiful. Beca had always loved coming to spend evenings there with the smell of salt in the cool air. It was a beautiful place to do work or sit in silence. She loved the ships passing in the night and the reflection of the night sky in the waters. In all of her years of stress in college, this was where she came to calm down. Watching the water splash against the riverbank always gave her peace. Even now, in her more stressful moments, the cold air gave her a chance to breathe.

"Hey, Beautiful." Beca nearly jumped when Chloe spoke, as if Beca wasn't waiting for her already. Once Beca registered that she'd been called beautiful though, a blush quickly spread over her pale skin.

"You're the one who's beautiful," Beca immediately responded as she turned to the redhead beside her. The brunette couldn't help the way her jaw dropped at the dress Chloe was wearing. when she approached Beca and pulled her in. Chloe was wearing the most beautiful dress Beca had ever seen her in. It was a short red dress, with a shoulder strap that wrapped around, yet still left her entire collarbone exposed. And Beca could see how the dress showed off all of Chloe's curves. So almost instinctively, she pulled Chloe in by the hem of the dress and planted a short kiss against her lips. She'd wanted to do it all day and Chloe's soft lips made everything just feel _right._

When Becafinally managed to break the kiss, she looked up into Chloe's eyes and watched the way they shimmered against the water. Chloe smiled at her and the kept their foreheads leaning against one another and Chloe iconically bit her lip, "Wow," she mumbled, breathlessly. Beca laughed in a breathless way and forehead away so they could walk into the eatery. As she did, she could only wish that she didn't feel the immediate ping in her stomach, as if she was lying to Chloe already.

In the eatery they sat at a private table and ordered their food, still nervously laughing and carrying on together. Chloe didn't think she'd seen Beca smile so much and if she did, Chloe had never gotten the chance to admire it as much as now. Chloe was absolutely gorgeous and Beca couldn't help but stare. She hardly noticed when their food arrived at the table. Chloe had to point it out to her, "Is everything alright?" Chloe finally when Beca moved her food across the plate for the seventh time in a few minutes, "You seem like you have something on your mind."

Beca cleared her throat and shook her head, "I'm sorry," She mumbled.

"Becs," Chloe said, reaching her hand on and taking ahold of Beca's arm from across the table. Beca finally gave her full attention then, with their eyes meeting, "Hey, it's just me."

Chloe smiled.

Beca could only think _You will never be 'just you.'_

"I don't want you to feel like you can't talk to me," Chloe pulled a hand a way than, "You have to talk to me, Becs."

Beca took a deep breath into her lungs and looked down briefly, then back into Chloe's gaze, "You're right." She mumbled. Her stomach churned at the thought of telling Chloe everything. It was all too much, too fast. Beca swallowed the lump in her throat, "Spider-Girl.." Beca's voice was hushed, "I just, I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hey, nothing is going to happen…" Chloe started.

Beca rubbed the back of Chloe's hand with her thumb, "I hope it never does" She smiled, "but if we're going to do this, the whole Spider-Girl thing is always going to be in the way." She took a deep breath, "It kind of, always does."

Chloe tucked her hair behind her ears and nodded, "Being…" Spider-Girl was implied, "It's a part of who you are, Becs. Whatever that includes, I'm in it for the long haul."

Beca couldn't help but feel like Chloe had all of the right things to say, but not all of them the truth of the matter. Chloe could say that, but she didn't understand the weight of the words. The possible anxiety of Beca getting hurt daily. The possibility of Chloe getting hurt if anyone knew. Beca swallowed, "That's all I could ever ask for Chlo, but… Just, tell me you'll be honest with me about how you feel about it."

"Of course I will." Chloe replied and tapped on Beca's wrist as a way of getting Beca's attention, "But hey, this is our first date. Let's have fun, okay? We'll work through it, together. I promise"

Beca was still antsy, but a bit calmer now. The majority of the storm was over. She had time to clue Chloe in about Spider-Girl. Beca smiled at her and Chloe could've sworn her smile lit up the room. Before either of them knew it, they had finished dinner and dessert and they were walking along the riverside, taking the back way back to the Bella house. They walked hand in hand, laughing over the smallest remarks and blushing every few minutes. And Beca could've forgotten that she was Beca Effin Mitchell or Spider-Girl at all. With Chloe she was just Beca. Beca could feel the muscles in her face becoming sore from laughing so much. In the few hours she had spent with Chloe, even with the worries she had on her mind, she felt more relaxed than she had ever in her life. Beca walked her all the way to her room and they found themselves on the outside of Chloe's door late in the night, in the dark of the Bella house. "You know, you don't have to go back to your room," Chloe told her as she fiddled with Beca's fingertips.

Beca leaned in and let herself kiss her best friend again, feeling the softness of their lips together. She closed her eyes and let her hands fall onto Chloe's waist. The whole thing was starting to feel natural, but new all at once. Neither of them would ever get tired of being able to kiss like this. Then, just as quickly, Beca pulled away and pressed her forehead against Beca's, "I want to come in with you, I do." She whispered. It was strange how many nights she had spent snuggling with Chloe in one of their beds and how now it felt like a foreign concept. Something that made her stomach flip.

"Do it," Chloe whispered back, lacing her arms around Beca's neck.

Beca took a deep breath, then backed up away from Chloe's grip, "I can't."

"Yes, you can." Chloe smiled into it, playing devil's advocate.

"No," Beca smiled back, "I can't. I want to do this right, baby." Chloe bit her lip at the nickname, "That means, going slow." She kissed Beca, "We'll get there, I promise."

Chloe sighed with a smile never leaving her lips, "You're right." She kissed Chloe again, this time long and hard leaving them both breathless, "Goodnight, baby."

Chloe smirked and leaned on the doorframe, "Goodnight, Becs."


	15. Chapter 15 - Stargazing

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Hours passed midnight, Beca found herself on the roof of the Bella house, gazing up and into the night. Stars shot around the sky like soft fireworks, sliding between the clouds and brightening the night sky. Clouds filled in below the light and a warm wind blew leaves off the trees. Darkness filled in around her as she watched the beautiful aurora that was the night sky in early spring. Being as she enjoyed watching the night sky so much, she wondered what the Northern Lights looked like in person. She couldn't imagine the night sky getting any more beautiful. It just wasn't possible. She had been there longer then she should have been and the girls, especially Chloe, would've been wondering where she was, but she couldn't help it. The entire year she had been working her ass off and the last few days had been an extreme change of pace for her. She needed a few hours to herself. She needed time to think about everything on her own before returning to society.

It had been a few days since their first date and Beca's life was going more right than it ever had before. Her boss at her internship had actually liked her version of Emily's original song. The Bellas were nearing a perfect performance for Worlds. Spider-Girl had been out in public and had yet to see the Green Goblin again. She and Chloe couldn't have been more perfect if all the stars had aligned perfectly. All of the stress she had put on her self at the beginning of the year was just starting to pay off. Graduation was right around the corner and she'd already started applying for jobs in New York and Los Angeles. She'd been on her way to whichever came first in just a few months. It was a lot to take in but she was excited for all of it. For once in her life, she felt like she was ready.

"I thought I might find you up here." Beca almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a silk voice behind her.

She turned around to see Chloe, sitting in the window of Beca and Amy's room, the same one that Beca had climbed out of herself. Beca took a deep breath and cleared her throat, "Been there long?" She tried to sound casual, but the muscles in her shoulders were still tense. It wasn't often that someone could sneak up to her in the few years that she had been Spider-girl. She hadn't been used to the feeling, but she must've been so lost in thought that she stopped being so aware of her surroundings.

Chloe shrugged and pulled her jacket closer in the wind. Beca couldn't help loving Chloe in private. The change was a stark difference. Private and public Chloe were both her, but they were still very different. Public Chloe wore makeup and stunning outfits that made Beca fall apart on the inside, but Private Chloe didn't wear any makeup. She wore sweatpants, and giggled more, if possible. Beca loved getting to know both sides of the girl in the years they had lived together and the Bellas. Being in a relationship was like being able to kiss her best friend. It was something beyond her imagination. Chloe scooted down the rooftop to get closer to Beca, "Just long enough to see how beautiful you are."

Beca swallowed and scratched the back of her neck, "You're such a liar," She mumbled the words like a mantra told to her over and over again. She had never really believed anyone when they called her beautiful, though Chloe had gotten her close to believing it.

Chloe smirked coyly at Beca and swung her feet around the window sill. That was a smirk Beca had learned came with her sparkling personality and one that Beca wanted to be the reason behind. Chloe crawled down the roof and nudged Beca in the shoulder, "I would never lie to you." She was biting her lip, but the words were meant seriously and Beca knew it. It was the most honest Chloe ever felt. Beca rolled her eyes and Chloe turned her attention to the night sky, "They're a lot more visible in Colorado."

"I bet they're beautiful out there," Beca took a second to remember that Chloe grew up in Colorado, with a big family in a smaller house. It was part of the reason Chloe was so touchy. She had grown up in quaint quarters, so unlike Beca's life. Beca grew up in a house too big for two people and too uncomfortable when her dad brought a stranger into it. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her mom. But Chloe grew up differently. She grew up in a small town between the mountains with three older brothers and one younger in a three bedroom house and a pullout couch. They were complete opposites and Beca wondered if that's why it felt so right. "There are too many lights in Atlanta. " Beca's voice trailed off as she laid back on the slats.

Chloe's smile dropped to a straight light and dented her eyebrows toward her nose, "I'm sure you could get a better view almost anywhere else in the city," Her smile was contagious and Beca couldn't help herself but smile too. She wasn't wrong. Beca had spent many nights on the rooftops of buildings close enough to the stars that she could practically reach up and touch them,

Beca licked her lips, "Maybe, but then how would you find me?" Beca laughed and their eyes met. Beca could practically hear Chloe suck in. The air was suddenly tense and Beca couldn't handle the silence, "I can't thank you enough for putting up with all of this for me." They both knew what she was saying: _Thank you for keeping it a secret from everyone, but most importantly the Bellas. For taking care of me when I was hurt. For dating me and not asking me to quit being Spider-Girl. Thank you._

Beca bit her lip as her dark blues met Chloe's cereulean eyes, "I'd do anything for you." Chloe's voice was low, but Beca could've heard it a mile away.

Chloe placed a hand on her thigh and gave her a reassuring smile, "I can't believe we're leaving for worlds in a few days." Beca added, in an attempt to simplify the conversation.

"About that..." Beca didn't think Chloe's voice could get lower, but it did. The tension was out in the air, but even in their hardest moments, Beca knew it would get better. Neither of them were going anywhere, "Are you sure you're going to be able to handle _not_ being _Spider-girl_?"

Beca cleared her throat and sat up on her elbows, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we're going out of the country. If Spider-Girl suddenly isn't in Atlanta and then reappears in Europe… The Bellas might have a few questions." Chloe looked at the sky. Beca hadn't exactly thought worlds through all the way. Afterall, Chloe was right. If Spider-Girl appeared in Europe, she might as well out herself to the Bellas.

Beca reached over to grab Chloe's hand and Chloe looked up at her. Her eyes were shimmering. Beca could only compare them to the colors in the night sky or the stars floating across the universe. Chloe was absolutely gorgeous. Beca had never felt so lucky in her entire life, "I guess I hadn't thought about that with everything else going on. I'll just have to do my best to be just Beca.

The air was stale for a few moments until Chloe cleared her throat, "Well, I think _just_ Beca is Aca-amazing."

Beca smiled with all of her teeth and Chloe was awestruck from how beautiful she was. Beca cracked her neck and stood up quickly, her bare feet very quickly attaching webbing themselves to the roofing, "Can I show you something?" The brunette asked, a hand outstretched for Chloe to grab on to.

Chloe nodded and put her hand in Beca's. Beca pulled and Chloe came up, a small yelp coming off her lips at the quickness. But Beca pulled her until their bodies were flush together and held on tight to Chloe's back. Chloe looked down at the ground fifteen feet below them and she swallowed, "Do you trust me?" Beca asked, watching Chloe for the nerves.

"Of course I do, Becs." Chloe didn't look at her, her eyes were transfixed to the ground below them and Beca could sense Chloe's fear. She could practically hear Chloe's heartbeat - rapid and loud enough to fill her ears.

Beca took a deep breath and nodded, "Hold on tight."

"Wait, Whaaaaa?" Before Chloe could finish the word, Beca shot a web near twenty feet away to a thick tree branch next door. Beca pulled at it and Chloe took a sharp breath in as they swung, almost to the ground, and off to a rooftop nearby. Beca felt Chloe grab on to the collar of her leather jacket and nearly choke her with it as they went. Beca landed them in a perfect fashion on a rooftop a few doors down and couldn't help but laugh at how Chloe refused to let go of her, "Holy shit, Becs!" Chloe's mouth and cuss words never fit quite right and Beca laughed again.

"I'm sorry, I should've warned you-" _Spider-Girl's_ words were broken up between bits of laughter and Chloe slapped her shoulder to get her to stop.

But as soon as Chloe slapped her, they looked each other in the eyes and then both girls were laughing. They laughed and laugh and Chloe looked down toward the ground, "Do it again."

"What?" Beca asked and Chloe met Beca's stare. The two girls very quickly realized that they were only a few inches apart from one another. This time, Chloe leaned in and their lips met. Beca nearly let go of the web that held them up but gripped tighter when she felt herself slipping, "Do it again," Chloe confirmed when she broke the kiss. With a small chuckle, Beca swung a web to a tree in the forest behind the house and pulled them forward. Chloe had to keep from screaming again as they flew from tree to tree and so on.


End file.
